Changes
by poorcuepine
Summary: Annie had learned to take care of herself. She never needed anyone. But could she change her mind? This is post Narco Pt.2 kinda
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So, here is the first Chapter. If you think my writing is awful, just let me know and I will leave it. If you have suggestions, fantastic! I am no adbailey but I am trying to keep Chase alive. This is my first fan-fic so just keep that in mind.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or any of the characters from Chase. **

-/-

The alarm went off on the bedside table welcoming 6am. It only served to startle Annie. As was true for the past few weeks, she had barely slept.

It had been 5 weeks since Jimmy got her back from the drug cartel and she couldn't seem to shake the insomnia. Within the first week of her return, the investigation into Jimmy's actions had been quickly closed due to a lack of evidence. Annie knew Jimmy had done some creative negotiations to organize her rescue and she really didn't want to know the details. She was thrilled when word came that the investigation was over and Jimmy seemed relieved. But she was still required to attend mandatory therapy sessions. Today was her last visit and she would finally be released from the torture. That, the insomnia, and the heat wave outside kept Annie in a dark mood.

She really had tried to keep her distance from Jimmy. She wasn't sure what was going on between him and Nathalie, but since the day of her rescue all she could think about was him. She didn't trust herself around him so she tried to keep to herself. But she was rapidly losing her resolve and she was moving toward a deep depression as her mind fought over her possible change of heart. Was she changing from wanting a life of the strong loner who didn't need anyone to needing another person to share it with?

Annie rolled exhausted out of bed to shower and get to her appointment. She hoped she didn't see Jimmy on her way in. Was it her imagination or did he seem to be at work a lot more lately? Could he be staying in the bunks? Annie couldn't finish her thought before she was distracted by a very hungry 59.

-/-

It was just past dawn and Bill Russell stood at his kitchen window mustering up the courage to leave the air conditioned oasis of his home. His morning paper sat on the edge of the curb taunting him. It had been a month-long heat wave and the constant drone of the air conditioner had become part of the normal background noise. Texas was hot in the summer. Everyone knew that. But this was ridiculous! He wondered if the fires that came with this kind of heat wave were getting worse or even coming their way. Living on the outskirts of Houston had its pluses and minuses, the fires being a definite minus. With that in his head, he mustered the nerve to set foot in the oppressive morning heat to get his paper.

As Bill walked down his front yard to the curb to pick up the errantly tossed paper, something caught his eye. He turned to see piles of women's cloths strewn across the front of his neighbor's lawn.

"Man, they must have had quite a fight this time" he mumbled remembering witnessing so many of their notorious outbursts in the past. He never quite approved of how Ryan Jackson treated his wife. The man seemed extra-ordinarily jealous. But he tried to stay out of other people's business. Suddenly something else caught his attention. Was that blood on some of the clothes? A LOT of blood? Bill exhaled and felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Mrs. Jackson laying dead within her pile of clothes. In his hysteria he looked all around. What happened to their daughter, Sophia? Bill dropped his coffee mug and paper and sprinted into his front door to call 911.

-/-

"That conclude's our last mandatory therapy session, Annie. How do you feel about the progress we have made?" The therapist had annoyed Annie for the past few weeks about her kidnapping. He had asked every question in the book. Annie was over it. With all the baggage Annie carried from her childhood, She didn't feel that the kidnapping could make a dent.

"I feel fine" Annie blandly mumbled. She was particularly bored in this her final session. The lack of sleep and heat wave had gotten to her and she was in a bad mood. She needed another cup of coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

"I feel fine" Annie blandly mumbled. She was particularly bored in this her final session. The lack of sleep and heat wave had gotten to her and she was in a bad mood. She needed another cup of coffee.

The therapist rose signaling Annie's release from the room. Annie stood, smoothed down her jeans and walked out . . . right into a waiting Jimmy. "Jimmy, what are you doi . . ." but she didn't finish her sentence. Jimmy held his finger up for her to wait. He had that serious look on his face as he was reading his emails on his phone. As soon as he finished, he looked up at Annie with a smirk on his face. "Are you feeling therapized yet?"

"Yes, I am feeling completely stable now" she grumpily retorted as she stomped down the hall toward the bullpen. This was a complete waste of her time and she did not need Jimmy rubbing it in.

Jimmy had to trot to keep up with her. "Boots, I was just kidding! Hey, wait a second!" He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "Look, Annie, we have a case that just came in. I wanted to catch you before we got to the bullpen so we could talk about it first."

"What is it?" Annie couldn't help but be grouchy. Jimmy chuckled quietly. "You are really in a mood today!"

Annie turned on her heel and stomped toward the bullpen again. Jimmy had the nerve to look happy to see her! He was making it very hard. "Wait! Boots! Just stop, please."

"Is there really a case you want to discuss or is this your plan to continue to annoy me about my mandatory therapy?" Annie had stopped in the middle of the hallway.

Jimmy approached seriously and began "a report just came in of a mother/daughter murder near Huntsville. The husband has a history of violence and jealousy. He is on the run. Chief wants us to head out there and look into this as a possible top 15 addition."

Annie saw his serious demeanor and reflected it. "When did it happen? What history does the husband have?"

"I have that information at my desk. I thought you might want the whole team to see the murder scene." Jimmy hoped that putting Annie in the lead would put her in a better mood. He missed the smiling Annie who had disappeared when he brought her back from Mexico. He was worried about her. The deep circles under her eyes had not improved and all he wanted to do was hold her close and make whatever nightmares that were preventing her sleep go away.

"I'll look over the file at my desk and then we can all go" Annie mumbled as she wandered off to the bullpen. Jimmy sighed. This was going to be another long day.

-/-

Jimmy pulled up to the Houston suburban home that was roped off with police tape. It had been a quiet ride out to Hunstville. The rest of the team pulled up next to Annie's Escalade. As the marshals rambled out of their air conditioned SUVs into the blazing heat they took in the details of the murder scene in front of them.

The bodies had been taken to the morgue hours before but the clothes were still scattered throughout the yard. The amount of blood made it clear that anger was involved. Annie wandered through the mess looking them over. This woman was either really spoiled or these were apology gifts.

Annie could feel her anger bubble hotter at the idea that this woman was beaten by her husband. There were no children's clothes in the any of the piles. The daughter's body had fallen closer to the front door. Had the little girl stumbled upon this horrific act of violence and become an innocent victim or had the husband targeted her, also? Had the father assumed that his daughter was becoming like her mother?

Annie was concentrating so deeply she did not hear Jimmy calling her name. He was standing with Bill Russell, the neighbor who had called the murder into 911. Jimmy approached Annie cautiously. He didn't want to startle her while she was this deep in thought but she needed to talk to Bill. They needed to hear what the neighbor had to say together.

When he tapped her on the shoulder she turned and glared at him briefly until she realized it was Jimmy. She immediately regretted her look and tried to appear less angry. "Annie, Bill Russell, the neighbor, is here. He has some information about this family that I think you should hear." Annie let Jimmy lead her to the witness. Once they were introduced, Annie started on the questions immediately. "Mr. Russell, have you had any experience with the Jacksons? Did you know them well?"

"Honestly they were very private. Mrs. Jackson was very nice but I was always concerned because it seemed like Ryan was jealously protective of her. And I barely knew they had a daughter. They moved in about 3 years ago. Their daughter is the same age as our daughter, I think, but they must have home schooled her because she did not go to the same school as our kids. It is the only school in the area." Bill Russell seemed to just ramble on.

Annie distractedly thanked him for the information he provided as she wandered off aimlessly. She just kept going to the outline of the daughter's body. Something was grabbing her interest but she wasn't sure if it involved the case or just the oppressive heat. Jimmy watched Annie a bit concerned. He had to remember to ask her what was up later when they were alone. He finished up with Bill handing him his card to contact if he remembered any more details about the Jacksons.

Daisy and Luke were taking photos of every detail of the scene that they could. Marco was in the house taking even more photos and notes of the Jackson's habits and lifestyle. Annie felt her team was on auto-pilot and she was glad. She had chased down her share of wife murderers but she had limited experience when children were involved and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Jimmy noticed that Annie had been standing over the outline of the little girl for a while. It grabbed his attention but he shook it off as the heat. Annie was a Texan, there was no denying that. But long heat spells did not bring out Annie's best side. And whatever had happened to her in Mexico had left a lasting impression. Jimmy had known her for years. She seemed different lately and he was really getting concerned. He decided to see if she was ready to head back to headquarters to start researching the husband and get moving on the chase. The ride back would be a good opportunity for him to find out what was bothering her.

Jimmy approached the distracted Annie, "you ready to head back?" "Yea. . ." she mumbled and followed him to the SUV. Jimmy opened the door for her, an act he rarely did but she was so engrossed in thought he was concerned she might forget and just keep standing there. Annie did not even notice as she just piled into the passenger seat. Jimmy shut the door and called up to Daisy as he rounded to the driver side. "We will see you guys back at headquarters! Get as much info as you can!" Daisy just nodded in acknowledgment and continued taking photos.

Jimmy started up the SUV and pulled away. He had the AC on high and the noise prevented the two Marshalls from talking. But after the car cooled down and Annie was still staring silently out the window, Jimmy had had enough.

He switched the fan to low and turned to his partner. "Boots, talk to me. What is going on in that head of yours?" Annie shrugged continuing to stare out the window quietly. Jimmy was not going to let this continue. Annie had been out of sorts for what seemed like weeks and Jimmy wanted to know what was going on. He pulled the car over to the shoulder. The sudden change startled Annie out of her pout, "Jimmy, what are you doing!" He put the car in park and turned in his chair to face his partner. "Annie, enough is enough. What is going on? You clearly haven't been sleeping. You are barely eating. What is upsetting you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Everyone! I remembered to add my Author's note this time. Look, I know this story is starting slowly and I apologize. Things are going to start happening, I promise! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to head them my way. Well, enjoy! I will spend the weekend typing away and will be updating on Tuesday (instead of Monday). Have a great weekend!**

**-/-  
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He switched the fan to low and turned to his partner. "Boots, talk to me. What is going on in that head of yours?" Annie shrugged continuing to stare out the window quietly. Jimmy was not going to let this continue. Annie had been out of sorts for what seemed like weeks and Jimmy wanted to know what was going on. He pulled the car over to the shoulder. The sudden change startled Annie out of her pout, "Jimmy, what are you doing!" He put the car in park and turned in his chair to face his partner. "Annie, enough is enough. What is going on? You clearly haven't been sleeping. You are barely eating. What is upsetting you?"

"Jimmy, I…. I just…" Annie stumbled. She had something to say but had no idea how to say it or if she was even ready to tell him yet. She was tired and her head hurt. Maybe she was delirious. Was she in any shape to be answering that question? The bottom line was that during the kidnapping she realized how important Jimmy was in her life. Annie shut her eyes trying to remember if Jimmy had said anything about the status between him and Natalie. If she opened her heart and soul to Jimmy and he was taken, it would crush her. Annie's past of being deserted by her father was making the next step almost too hard to contemplate.

Jimmy watched as Annie shut her eyes. He knew there was so much running through her head and he wanted to help. "Boots, talk to me."

Annie looked at the floor boards and took a deep breath hoping it would fill her with confidence. "What is going on with you and Natalie?" Jimmy looked away and the act terrified Annie. She cursed in her head; she never should have said anything. Why did she say that? Why did she bring up Natalie? What was she thinking! Her head pounded away.

"We have been over for a while" Jimmy said quietly continuing to look out the window at the cars racing by. "I just could not love her like she deserved." He turned to look at Annie intently, "Someone else held my attention." Jimmy put his hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. She had to hear what he was saying and he knew she was having an internal argument with herself. "Annie, are you listening to me?"

"What?" Annie was squinting with a look of confusion painted painfully on her face.

"Boots, you have been my best friend for years. I trust you with my life."

The tears gathered in Annie's eyes as his words broke through the smog that was in her brain.

Jimmy pulled back into traffic leaving both of them to think about what had just happened. They drove down the road in silence concentrating on words that were spoken and unspoken.

-/-

The rest of the team walked into the bullpen with Marco finishing another of his crazy stories to the laughing amusement of Daisy and Luke. And the revelry was partially catchy. Jimmy was tired of the silent treatment. He had given Annie her space but he was not in the mood to continue being morose.

He followed Daisy, Marco and Luke into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and be social. Annie pretended not to notice Jimmy walk by her desk. She was angry at herself for being in a bad mood. Maybe she needed to go for a walk.

Silently Annie walked out of the bullpen and out the front door of head quarters. The heat hit her like a brick wall. She had no idea where she was going or what she would do when she got there but she needed to process this day so she could focus on her job and the capture of a double murderer.

-/-

It had been about a half hour when Jimmy realized that he had not seen Annie around the bullpen. She wasn't at her desk, in the lounge, in the kitchen or in any of the conference rooms. It was distracting him from his research. He sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to concentrate on reading the files in front of him. "I am giving you 10 more minutes, Boots, then I am coming to find you" Jimmy mumbled to himself. He hoped that by setting the 10 minute deadline, he could release his brain to concentrate. He was losing the battle.

Suddenly Annie came in through the front door. Her face was bright red and she looked, well, she looked like the heat had gotten to her. Her headache from earlier had not gone away. The heat had only made it worse and in her exhaustion, the room kind of spun around in front of her. Annie plopped down at her desk chair. She would not look Jimmy in the eye. She whipped open the file folder in front of her and squinted to read the words drifting in front of her. The walk was supposed to clear her head but it felt rather stuffed at the moment.

Jimmy sighed walking over to Annie. He grabbed her by the arm and led her toward the bunks trying to be subtle and not draw attention to the two of them. Annie clearly needed to rest in the cool darkness or she was going to pass out. Jimmy could read Annie's pale complexion like a book. He knew what all of her tones of pink to red meant and this particular shade of green was not a good sign.

Annie didn't put up any fight as he dragged her into the silent darkness of the bunks and sat her down on a bed. "Why don't you just lay here rest? I will come get you in a bit and we can finish the research. OK?"

Annie wanted to fight but her mind was shutting down rapidly and she had all she could do to nod in agreement before she flopped on her side and let sleep take her.

It was getting past 6 and Annie had not emerged from the bunks. Jimmy had promised he was going to wake her up but when he saw her sleeping so peacefully, he decided against it.

"What are you guys doing after work tonight?" Jimmy was startled by Daisy. He hadn't seen her approach. "Where is Annie?"

"She is doing research. You guys heading to the bar in a bit? I could use a cold beer." Jimmy could really go for a cold one right now.

"Yea, Marco is heading out to pick up Chloe. We thought we would all meet over there at 8?" Jimmy nodded. That gave Annie another 45 minutes before Jimmy needed to wake her up. Then again, maybe he should wake her up now.

Jimmy pushed back from his desk and went into the kitchen. If he brought a peace offering in the form of coffee it might help wake her up on the right side of the bed. He poured the cup as Marco joined him. "Hey, is Annie OK? She was looking pretty bad when she came in. I haven't seen her most of the day."

"Yea, she's ok, I think. I heard you were bringing Chloe." Jimmy was trying to deflect attention from Annie.

Jimmy laughed as Marco started swinging his hips "Yup, she wants to d-a-a-a-a-nce!" Both froze as Annie came walking into the kitchen. She managed to wedge herself between the two men looking for something. Jimmy tapped her on the shoulder and handed over the cup of coffee he had just poured. Annie took the cup and stomped out of the kitchen leaving the two men speechlessly staring at each other. Jimmy just shook his head and followed after her.

-/-

The evening started as the day ended, with Jimmy and Annie not speaking. But after a few beers, some loud music and a collection of Marco's best stories, they had all relaxed into their normal team camaraderie. Jimmy was relieved. Even after her 2 hour nap earlier that day, Annie did not look any more rested but at least she had a smile on her face. He looked across the table to see her sunken eyes starting to close and her head nodding forward. "Well, I think it is time to head home! Marco, your stories were, as usual, entertaining. You guys take it easy!" He pulled Annie out of the booth by her hand. He couldn't tell if she was drunk or just exhausted, maybe a bit of both. She leaned against him as Jimmy led her out of the bar and into the Escalade.

-/-

They pulled into Annie's parking space and climbed the stairs to the front door. Jimmy was almost flattened by a 150lb 59 as soon as the door opened. Annie reached down and scratched behind her four legged buddy's ear. Then she turned and smiled as she looked into Jimmy's eyes.

"You OK?" Jimmy was instantly suspicious. He was getting mixed signals at the moment.

Annie laughed and swayed off to the kitchen where she grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels from over the sink. She poured 2 glasses and looked at Jimmy. "Do you think that little girl was killed because she saw her father murder her mother or because her father wanted to punish her for being a woman?"

Annie was not drunk as Jimmy thought. "I don't know… That bothering you?"

"No more than knowing she was murdered by her father. Maybe she was close to her mom" Annie took a gulp of her whiskey and randomly patted 59's head who had left Jimmy alone to follow her into the kitchen. "I guess we will find out as we look into it more." Jimmy slugged his shot and walked up behind Annie. He put his hands on her shoulders and directed her toward her bedroom. "No more. It is time for bed." Annie sighed and let herself be guided off for a second time that day.

-/-

Her bed sunk heavily causing Annie's head to pop out of a pile of pillows. Her head was banging and she felt disoriented. She must have slept last night – a first in weeks. She felt a nuzzle on her ear and turned to face her hungry dog. She gave him a pet and rolled over. The smile faded as she squinted in concentration. Something was missing. Some ONE was missing. She stumbled out of her room. Didn't she come home with Jimmy? Annie headed out of the bedroom to make some coffee and figure it all out.

She didn't have to think for long. There he was, hanging half off the couch sound asleep. Annie smiled. It was nice having him around. She wandered into her sparse kitchen and started the coffee. As the room filled with the smell of fresh java, she saw the lump on the couch shift.

59 was sitting next to Jimmy's head waiting patiently for his eyes to open. The dog's favorite game was catching Jimmy with a slobbery kiss when he wasn't expecting it. Annie leaned against the counter to watch the attack unfold. It was like watching a safari show on TV. The lion was hunting its prey. Annie snickered as Jimmy's head lifted innocently off the couch. 59 planted Jimmy square in the face with his giant wet tongue. The sneak attack was efficient and successful and she heard a muffled moan watching Jimmy bury his head into the couch to prevent more. But this was part of the game and 59 was just waiting to unleash a second attack. When Jimmy blindly reached out his arm and felt the Rottweiler's presence, there came a muffled plea, "Annie, please get 59! I can't . . . he won't . . . He's going to drown me!"

Annie was already approaching the couch. She pointed her buddy to this dog bowl for breakfast and lowered a cup of steaming coffee next to Jimmy's hidden face. "You are safe tough-guy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Everyone! Pianogirl, thank you so much for the encouragement. I really thought with the lack of reviews that perhaps my story was just too boring. I am working hard to get better at this, I promise! If any of you have any suggestions, I am VERY open to any and all!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this up. Perhaps twice a week was more ambitious than I thought... LOL. In any case, I will still strive for that and hopefully will be able to keep to it in the future. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**-\\-**

Annie was already approaching the couch. She pointed her buddy to this dog bowl for breakfast and lowered a cup of steaming coffee next to Jimmy's hidden face. "You are safe tough-guy."

The smile that greeted her was infections. "Coffee, ahhhh, thank you!" He shuffled to a sitting position grabbing the cup out of her hand. Both sat sipping their coffee watching the dog shovel up his food. "How'd you sleep?" Jimmy peered at Annie from the corner of his eye. "I slept. I seem to be better at it when you are around." Annie was afraid she had revealed too much info so she just kept watching 59 eat. Jimmy reached his arm around her and drew her in. "Me too."

It was after 10 by the time both had showered. Jimmy wanted to get to headquarters for some new clothes and Annie wanted to grab some files to make up for the research time she had slept through the day before.

"S'not so hot today" Annie muttered blandly. Jimmy nodded and they piled into the SUV.

**-\\-**

They parked in the garage and came in through the back. Jimmy disappeared into the bunks. Annie paused and watched him go but then followed with interest. As she arrived in the doorway, she saw her partner digging though 2 large duffle bags. "You living here now?"

Jimmy glanced up rolling his eyes in frustration. "I told you yesterday, Natalie and I are over. I moved out." He continued looking through the piles of clothes with agitation. Annie just stood there blinking. She seemed frozen in thought as she recalled yesterday's brief conversation by the side of the road. She wanted him to be part of her life but would he stick around? No one else in her life had. They had been friends for a long time but Annie had never expected him to stay. She had never expected anything from him. He had just been Jimmy. He had just been around.

"You gonna watch me get changed, Boots?" Jimmy smirked.

Annie blushed and backed up. She looked Jimmy in the eye as she retreated into the hallway. She wasn't shy about seeing him in the buff. There was a big part of her that was more than happy to stay. But they were at work and it probably wasn't a good idea. At least that is what she told herself to justify turning around and sashaying out the door. Jimmy kept smirking.

At her desk, Annie opened the files on Ryan Jackson and began outlining in her special "profiler" kind of way. It helped her get in the head of the perps in the hopes of getting ahead of their actions. Annie was feeling a bit more like herself and was really moving along on the case.

The Ryan Jackson she was researching had been rather boring revealing nothing more than a parking ticket in the past 4 years. Then the trail went dead. Annie had her suspicions. Men like Jackson usually had a history that would not have allowed them to end up in an upper class suburban neighborhood with a gorgeous wife and darling daughter.

Annie needed to dig further to find his weak spot. Jimmy interrupted, "Boots, Jackson was into hunting. Big time." It was funny how efficiently they worked together. When they were on a roll few could beat them. Their arrest record stood apart from the rest of the Marshal teams.

Annie looked at Jimmy in front of her. "Did he collect guns?"

"Not sure if he did as an enthusiast but he was a member of the Dallas gun club over 3 years ago. According to their files, he regularly checked out several different pistols to practice."

Annie took a deep breath and let it out. "We gotta look in Dallas for any possible cases involving the death of a wife that was unsolved. I don't know, I just get the feeling he has done this before and maybe not just once." Jimmy nodded in agreement.

**-\\-**

Almost five hours later, they had discovered at least two other personas adopted by this 'Ryan Jackson'. Each of these associated with sudden accidental death of the wife. In both cases, the wife came from a fairly wealthy family.

Jimmy's stomach growled loudly. It was after three and he was starving. He got up to ask if Annie wanted to break for lunch but she waved him off. "Boots, you gotta eat!"

"Not hungry. Jimmy, I think I found another ID for this son of a bitch!" She was already frantically tapping at the computer keys dead set on learning more.

"I'm going to go get a sandwich or something. I'll be right back. You sure you don't want anything?" He was leaning into her space hoping to distract her into paying some attention to him.

"Jimmy," Annie annoyingly spat, "go get your lunch! I am working here!" Dejectedly, Jimmy wandered out to get something in his stomach.

**-\\-**

While he was gone, Annie tracked down an interesting lead that ended, or should she say started more than 27 years and 5 relationships earlier. It was the case of a jealous high school boyfriend and the disappearance of his on again off again girlfriend. I was in Del Rio. Annie had done it!

When Jimmy walked in, ham and cheese sandwich and fries in a bag hanging from his hand, Annie met him at the door. "Follow me" she turned and strode confidently to the conference room. Images were already on the big screen. There were stacks of reports carefully piled up on the table.

Jimmy sat, pulled his sandwich out and took a big bite. He randomly popped open a soda as he studied the top sheet of each pile and the information described on the TV screen. Slowly, as the sandwich disappeared, he began smiling and nodding. Annie leaned against the table aimlessly pulling a fry out of the bag to munch on while she watched Jimmy put all her research together. "Jack Gutherie . . ." he mumbled.

"Boots, we're gonna get this guy!" Jimmy had that smile of success on his face. Her ability to put a story together was miraculous. Now they just had to figure out where he went in the 2 year time frame between relationships.

"His mom divorced his dad in 1981. Jack Gutherie, aka Ryan Jackson, chose to stay with his dad." Jimmy walked around the table to look closer at Annie. She raised her eyebrows in response. "Gerald Gutherie, Jack's dad, moved in 1984 to work as a ranch hand in Channing. I think he's there.

Jimmy nodded. "Good work, Boots. You wanna call the group and head up there tonight?"

"No, I want him to get settled a bit. He hasn't killed during the two years he has hidden. It's not his M.O. I want him to get comfy – let him think we aren't coming. Then we'll get him. Maybe Monday you should leak to the press that we are stumped." Annie had a huge grin on her face as she shoved another fry in her mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi Everyone, I uploaded this from my husband's mac and I am a bit more familiar with a PC so I apologize that there aren't any scene dividers here (or whatever they are called). Anyway - I have had a great couple of days of writing so I feel good about posting twice this week. Hoping that the in-the-zone feeling continues! Maybe I could post again this week! Hope you all enjoy! If you do not, let me know. I would love any advice.**

**Disclosure: I do not own Chase or any of the characters.**

"No, I want him to get settled a bit. He hasn't killed during the two years he has hidden. It's not his M.O. I want him to get comfy – let him think we aren't coming. Then we'll get him. Maybe Monday you should leak to the press that we are stumped." Annie had a huge grin on her face as she shoved another fry in her mouth.

They spent the next few hours getting packets ready for the team for their Monday morning meeting. Annie wanted everyone updated and on the same page with this case so it would be a textbook capture. She had changed her mind about waiting. She wanted to get this guy now.

The light coming in the windows had a distinct angle to it when Jimmy came up behind her. "Boots, it is quitting time." He spun her around as he sat on the conference table and pulled her to him. He looked Annie in the eye and with that low, quiet voice stated, "You seem to be feeling a little better today. Can you tell me what is going on?"

Annie looked at Jimmy and then looked down. She wanted to tell him some of the fears that she harbored but was afraid he would consider her weak. Annie could not afford to be seen as weak. She had spent too much of her life proving that she was afraid of nothing. She could not live with herself if Jimmy thought she was incapable of taking care of herself. He was truly her best friend but she could not burden him with what was going on in her head. The inner dialogue continued and Jimmy's eyebrows rose. "I can hear the conversation from here, Boots. Look, if you don't want to tell me, that is ok but I can handle whatever it is that is bothering you."

"Jimmy…!" Annie rolled her eyes but she wasn't aggravated at him. She was annoyed with herself. She felt weak and confused and frustrated. Why was she even thinking of fear? She was a US Marshal! She had taken care of herself for most of her life! She was afraid of nothing!

Jimmy pushed her back a bit and stood up. "Well, you let me know when you wanna talk." Jimmy started walking out of the conference room, "Sometimes it's good to share things, Annie." Jimmy sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head while he sauntered back to his desk. He wanted Annie to talk to him. Maybe he could help her with whatever she was going through. He just wished she would let him in.

Annie watched him walk out. This was so HARD. If she told him, he might think she was completely paranoid. She couldn't put her finger on it but, if her instincts were right and she really had seen suspicious men watching her more and more frequently, she would need his help in staying saying safe. Annie shook the thought from her head. This was all a result of her kidnapping. She was just being crazy. Annie slowly left the conference room to catch up with Jimmy.

They turned out of the parking lot and headed back to Annie's place in normal weekend evening traffic. However, something grabbed Jimmy's eye. Was there a car trailing them? Annie shuffled in the seat next to him, attracting his attention. She had contributed nothing as they packed up, nothing as they got in the SUV and nothing so far on the drive. Jimmy decided to suggest that they stop at the store to pick up some steaks and beer at the store. Annie nodded and Jimmy whipped the Escalade into the parking lot.

Annie got out and was rounding the back of the Escalade to join Jimmy when a car passed slowly by. The passenger seemed to be looking right at her. Was she seeing things? She joined Jimmy to shop for their dinner.

-/-

Monday morning, Annie was up early. Jimmy was sleeping on her couch again, as he had all weekend. It was starting to bother her. What were 'they'? She wanted something to happen, to move in a direction but she wasn't sure what Jimmy's plans were and she definitely did not want to risk embarrassment by forcing a relationship. But a relationship also meant that she would have to open up to Jimmy and she was not sure that she was ready or he could handle it. Too much thinking for a Monday morning, 59 needed a walk and breakfast. She grabbed the leash and glancing at Jimmy snoring on the couch, she headed out to try to clear her head.

The Rottweiler lumbered along like a lion. Annie was grinning watching him sniff at a bush when she looked up for no particular reason. Something drew her attention. Was that the same car from last night parked on the other side of the empty lot? Annie squinted and tilted her head in concentration as the car started and slowly drove out of the lot and down the back street. The driver did not seem at all spooked by Annie spotting them. It was either worrisome that they were not afraid or disturbing that Annie was getting so paranoid.

Annie yanked lightly on her dog's leash. They needed to get back. Jimmy would be up and they should get into headquarters.

Jimmy was in the shower when they got back. After feeding 59 and pouring herself and Jimmy a cup of coffee, Annie cracked open the bathroom door to tell Jimmy to hurry it up or she was leaving without him! Jimmy snorted and muttered, "Good morning to you, too."

-/-

Marco greeted the partners at the edge of the bullpen announcing, "Annie, the chief wants to see you. Hey Jimmy, you watch the game this weekend?" Jimmy joined Marco as they meandered to the kitchen talking baseball. Annie dropped her stuff at her desk and picked up her files on the Jackson case to head into the Chief's office.

Annie knocked on the door and peered in. The chief waved her in as he finished his phone call. She entered and sat in the chair across from his desk. "Annie, how's the Jackson case coming along?" Annie shook the file folder in her hands, "I think we know where he is. There is a 27 year history of unsolved murders with his name all over them. I was going to update the team today and we were going to head up to Channing where I think he is hiding. . . sir."

The chief was nodding listening to the presentation. "Good work, Annie. Keep me updated. We want him captured." He paused and continued, " Annie, take a seat for a sec. I wanted to talk to you about something that has been brought to my attention. ATF has contacted me that the Cordova Cartel is reorganizing. Pablo's brother, Manuel, has emerged as the new leader and they are coming back strong. Manuel is brutal where his brother was controlled. Annie, I need you to watch your back. They feel that Manuel is probably going to be targeting the people who helped bring his brother's family and the cartel name down."

Annie nodded. Her head was both full of thoughts and blank at the same time. That car and the feeling she was being watched rolled around amongst the nothingness feel of dread. Maybe she wasn't paranoid, after all. "Annie, I want you to update your team and make sure you watch your back." She nodded again, "Yes sir. Do you need me for anything else?"

After the chief had dismissed her, she headed back to the bullpen and ran into Jimmy coming out of the kitchen. The look on her face told Jimmy everything. He put his hand on her back and led her to the closest conference room where he shut the door behind them.

"Ok, what is up, Boots." Annie sat there trying to put all the information together. She took a deep breath and sighed. She was going to have to tell him as a teammate if not as a . . . what was he anyway? Boyfriend? Ugh. The inner conversation irritated Jimmy and he ran his hands through his hair as he tried to remain patient. "Annie."

She snapped back to attention, "Um" she cleared her throat "the chief just told me that the Cordova Cartel is rebuilding. Pablo's brother, Manuel is running the family now and he is not as sweet as his brother." Annie's voice started at a whisper and ended in a controlled growl. "He wants me to stay alert."

"Annie, they could be targeting you right now!" Jimmy was instantly concerned.

"Yea" Annie had her pounding heart carefully hidden behind her tough façade. "Um, and last night I saw a suspicious car pass us in the parking lot of the supermarket. I saw the same car on the other side of the deserted lot down the street from my apartment this morning."

"This morning?" Jimmy was looking at her confused and irritated.

"59 had to go for his morning walk. It is normally a pretty mundane trip. He sniffs. He pees. He does other things he has to do outside. We go home." Annie still wore her guise of strength but it was starting to crack in front of Jimmy.

"Annie, I hope you are ok with having a roommate for a while because I am not leaving you alone." Jimmy paced away moving his hand to massage his neck. "I am not going through another kidnapping. I can't go through that again" he murmured.

Annie closed her eyes and stood there feeling Jimmy near her. He was more than right. She could not go through that again either. "Yea, that is a good idea." She wanted to say that she could take care of herself. She wanted to show Jimmy that she was self sufficient. But she doubted herself after her history with this cartel.

Annie cleared her throat, suddenly determined. She marched out of the conference room away from Jimmy while calling out, "I want the team in this conference room in 15 minutes. We are going to get Ryan Jackson. We are going to get one murderer off the street." Her voice was fading as she was getting further but Jimmy could still hear her the whole way to her desk and he was pretty sure that Marco, Daisy and Luke could hear her, also. He left the conference room to get ready for their meeting with Annie's safety still in the front of his mind.

Annie grabbed the info packets she had made and stomped to the conference room. She slapped them down on the table. Nervously the H.E.A.T. team filed in. They could feel Annie's agitation and they were concerned about this case if it caused her to come undone like this.

As everyone sat down, Annie put some of the murder photos up on the screen and handed out the packets. "Ryan Jackson has had been married 4 times and been in 5 long term relationships since 1981. When I say 'long term' I mean a maximum of 5 years. "Annie had her voice and her presentation under control and it was making her more relaxed and confident as she proceeded. She gave a complete report of Gutherie's list of personas, locations and ex-wives. Less than 30 minutes later Annie had moved into the capture plan.

"We are all going to head up to Channing this afternoon via plane. Daisy, I want you to get the Sheriff in Channing onboard with this. I think he may have one Deputy up there and we could use their help. Luke, I need you to look into the ranches in the area. We need to know who owns the ranches in that area. We may have to call on the hands to help us get where we need to be. It is pretty rural out there and they'll know the territory. Don't contact them, just get their information together. Marco, I need you to help me and Jimmy find all of Gutherie's possible friends who could help him. I need to know where they live. Ok, the plane leaves in 2 hours so we have until then to get all the answers we can. Let's get to work."

Jimmy cleared his throat loudly and looked at her while raising his eyebrows. Wasn't she forgetting to tell them something that they deserved to know?

Annie looked at Jimmy and nodded. Before anyone could leave, she started again. "Oh, um, and an added note. It has come to our attention that the Cordova Cartel is reforming under Pablo's brother, Manuel. This guy is not nice and he is not happy with what happened to his brother. We need to stay alert. If any of you see anything you think is suspicious, you need to let me or Jimmy know so we can stay on top of everything. Ok, thanks! Let's get ready to head up north."

With that, Annie walked out of the conference room straight to her desk. She did not want to talk to anyone. She needed some space and she needed it fast if she was going to keep everyone convinced that she had everything under control. Jimmy left her alone as he sat at his desk trying to concentrate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi Everyone! As promised, here is Chapter 6! Hope you enjoy and Happy Friday! I have been madly writing away inspired by all your wonderful reviews! The story is REALLY taking shape now ( I am a couple of chapters ahead of what I have posted) and I think you are all going to like it. Any suggestions you give are being heard and taken into account, I promise!**

**Have a great weekend!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chase or any of the characters except the ones I made up.**

-/-

With that, Annie walked out of the conference room straight to her desk. She did not want to talk to anyone. She needed some space and she needed it fast if she was going to keep everyone convinced that she had everything under control. Jimmy left her alone as he sat at his desk trying to concentrate.

-/-

The plane was on time and was scheduled to touch down at a Channing airstrip in another hour. Everyone on-board was reviewing the plan or looking over the research to make sure they were prepared. Jimmy noticed Annie was staring out the window. It was vaguely reminiscent of the drive home from the crime scene. Jimmy sat down in the seat next to her. "Boots, you have had your suspicions about the Cordova family for a while, haven't you?" This new turn suddenly was very serious.

"I saw the car again on our way to the airport" Annie whispered stoically.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jimmy was getting annoyed. Why were they on a plane to capture a man who probably would be off the grid for another 2 years when Annie's life was at risk? The only thing that kept him calm was knowing that the further Annie was from Houston, the safer she probably was.

"We need to get this guy. We owe it to that little girl to get him." She asserted. Jimmy leaned his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. This focus that Annie had on the little girl was becoming more noticeable. At least it was an immediate distraction from the whole drug cartel danger thing.

Annie leaned her head against the window. She was going to have to turn up the concentration when they touched down but she could allow herself to relax on the brief flight. Jimmy seemed lost in thought next to her. She could sense the heat of his body. His proximity made her feel protected? Safe? Happy? Content? Momentarily she smiled and realized it could be all of those things. But the smile faded when she thought of the future. What did it hold with or without Jimmy? What direction was she going? She knew where she was now but she had no idea what she wanted for her future. And she needed to have some sort of idea before she allowed Jimmy into her heart. Annie took a deep breath; none of it mattered right now.

-/-

They touched down in Channing at a quiet airstrip. Everyone disembarked and piled into the waiting Sheriff's Suburban. Driving to Sheriff John T. Markell's office, Daisy started asking questions. "Are you familiar with Gerald Gutherie, sir?"

"Yeah, he has lived here for a few years. Still works at the Newman Ranch." Markell drawled. He was not at all impressed with the presence of the Marshalls but was, as always, helpful. He pulled into the small parking lot and they all entered the office. Daisy immediately flipped the lights on and went to the map of the county mounted on the wall. Luke followed right behind her. Within moments they had both labeled all the points of interest on the map. Marco, meanwhile, continued his conversation with John T about the Gutheries with Jimmy listening in. They had gathered where Jack usually stayed when he visited his father and John T had seen him around town the day before so he was definitely there. The next step was to plan the arrest and all 4 of them were standing waiting for Annie to outline it for them. But Annie was in the front of the office staring out the window at the setting sun. Jimmy peered through the doorframe and quietly asserted, "Boots? We are ready for the plan, you ready?"

"OH, Yep, yes I am." She turned on her heel and walked past Jimmy into the other office area. Jimmy didn't initially move continuing to look out the windows as Annie had been doing. What was Annie looking at? Was someone out there? He squinted but jerked away from the door frame to turn and listen to Annie's talk.

"Look, Jack Gutherie usually takes a low profile here in Channing so we are not going to find him wandering about. He doesn't stay in any apartments under his name so he could be staying with his father. John T you said you saw Jack in the General Store getting some food. Correct?" The Sheriff nodded in response. "So we know he sticks around this area. We also know that he frequents 287 Roadhouse in Dumas when he does go out. Sheriff, do you think you could have the bartender call if he comes in? Could they do that without alerting Jack?" John T nodded again and picked up the phone to call.

"So, the plan is, we are going to head over to the ranch to watch the bunks to see if Jack is staying with his dad. If he is there, we can apprehend him. Otherwise, we will wait to hear from John T that Gutherie is at the Roadhouse. Then we would get him there. Remember, he does not want to be caught so he could put up a fight. We believe he is armed and dangerous so stay alert."

John T hung up the phone and nodded at Annie. "So, unless we hear from the Roadhouse, let's load up into the vans outside and start surveilling the ranch." Annie walked up to the map that Daisy and Luke had been working on. She pointed out an area near the entrance of the ranch. "One van will be here. Marco, you and I will be in this van. Daisy, Luke and Jimmy, you are going to be in this van by the bunkhouse. They park the work trucks there so you can be hidden. I don't think I need to say to keep your eyes open. We think he is alone but he may be with his father. Okay, y'all, lets go." Annie stalked out of the office, through the front room and out into the Texas evening with the rest of her team behind her.

-/-

"I just don't get it. I know we have seen it before and we will see it again but I cannot imagine my dad killing my mom or me! I mean, I am sure we made my dad mad enough to feel like it but to actually follow through is just…." Marco could only shake his head in disbelief.

Annie put the binoculars down. The effect of Marco's comment was clear in her eyes though she tried to keep herself expressionless. "I don't get it either, Marco" she whispered and sighed. Marco could feel the effect this had on Annie's psyche. Normally she was so good at hiding it but lately, Annie seemed less strong. Marco still trusted Annie and her reactions with his life but this new side of her was something he was unsure of. He could not tell if it was the case that was bothering her or if something new was happening between her and Jimmy.

Marco chuckled to himself and shook his head. Something "new" happening between Jimmy and Annie - that was a laugh. Those two had always been close. He suspected that things may change in the near future now that Natalie was out of the picture. Marco glanced at Annie and the ever romantic guy in him looked forward to seeing the two partners connect. Maybe Jimmy could help Annie get through this case in one piece. Marco was shaken from his daydream when he saw Annie tense-up. A car had driven by.

"Marco, what do you see?" Annie was struggling to figure out what to look at first.

"The guy parked just left of that outshed. I think it is him, Annie but I can't see!" Marco was honed in on the car that had just pulled in but Annie had found something else.

"Jimmy, do you see what I am seeing?" Annie called into the walkie. Marco immediately looked away from his field glasses at Annie. The walkie talkie squawked back with Jimmy's voice. It was short but clear, "yep."

Marco instantly started searching for what they were talking about. There was a black car partially hidden about a quarter mile down the road. It must have been easier to see from Jimmy's perspective. He may have been further away but he had a direct view of it. "Annie, who is that?" Marco was immediately concerned.

"I think that has something to do with another case. Not this one." She then spoke into her radio, "Let's keep an eye on that black car but we need to stay focused on our original plan."

There was a long pause in response. And then it came. Jimmy's deep voice was very serious, "Marco, you are staying with Annie. Do not leave her side." Marco looked at Annie confused. Annie just looked at the radio. "Jimmy, let's just focus on this case." She rubbed her hand down her face then looked back up through her binoculars to see their criminal getting out of his car to enter the out-building and she punched Marco in the arm. "He's going in! I think it is him!"

Marco could see a glimpse of the familiar Marshall Annie Frost as she thrilled in catching her man! It made him smile. . .

"Jimmy, get him, it's him!" Annie shouted into her walkie as she threw open the door of the van and took off toward the out-building. Marco barely realized she was gone before he leapt out of the van after her. He scrambled for his footing but was quickly left behind. Annie was inspired to catch this guy or prove something.

"FREEZE, U.S. MARSHALLS!" Annie was bellowing mid sprint. Jimmy watched her in shock. What was she doing? He rocketed out of his own surveillance vehicle. "U.S. MARSHALLS" he joined Annie in the dash.

Gutherie had been living on the edge since the day he left his dead wife and child behind to clean himself up and start over. The Marshalls' arrival was no surprise to him. He was well prepared to run and run he did toward the mesquite brush and darkness. He would never be taken.

Annie pursued Gutherie in a mad race with Jimmy closing in just behind her. Marco wasn't far back, either. Daisy and Luke started up the van in the hopes that the vehicle could cut through the brush faster and more efficiently.

In the dark Annie had to try to find the moving shape of Gutherie against an ever darkening sky. It was hard and dangerous, just the way she liked it, and so she ran with all of her might. She was a U.S. Marshalll and this is what she did. As her heart and soul found comfort in the role of pursuer, she fell headlong into a giant Prickly Pear cactus. She heard Jimmy fly by. "Get him, Jimmy!" She yelled as she scrapped with the vicious plant.

But Jimmy's shadow appeared next to her. "Boots, grab my hand." Jimmy may have been out of breath from the run but he could not disguise the muffled giggle in his exhale. Annie reached for him the best she could. Sharp talons of the plant were holding her in a precarious position and they were unrelenting. She heard her jeans and shirt rip and she felt her skin tear as Jimmy hauled her out of the mess. Even as she was glad he was getting her out of her painful position she barked loudly, "Jimmy, forget about me, GO GET HIM!" She was almost frantic in her focus, as usual.

Jimmy laughed. "Calm down, Boots. Look." Jimmy was nodding ahead of their position as Luke had Jack Gutherie sprawled over the hood of the van with his hands getting cuffed behind him. "We got him." Annie snorted in disgust. She hurt from the plant's unrelenting attack and she was feeling rather grouchy at the moment.

"Come on." Jimmy gently put his hand near her lower back to direct her toward the outshed and the other van without actually touching her prickled back side. Marco had joined them after leaving Luke and Daisy to drive Jack back to the driveway. "You had a ferocious battle with that cactus, Annie" Marco was chuckling unaware of Annie's current demeanor. Jimmy could not hold it in any longer and let out a good belly laugh. Annie stomped off from the two, the rips in her pants and shirt flapping in the breeze.

-\\-

Marco and Jimmy said nothing but continued the light hearted chuckle as they rounded the outshed toward the 2nd van. Annie was standing there, frozen, staring where the black car had been. Jimmy cursed himself for not remembering about it. Marco instantly noticed the icy change in both of his partners. "Jimmy, tell me what is going on" Marco whispered.

"Remember what Annie said at the end of our meeting earlier today? I think that black car we saw earlier was somehow related to the Cordova Cartel." Jimmy stated without blinking. He could not decide where to look, at Annie's back or where the black car had been. Annie slowly turned. She caught Jimmy's eye and he could, for the first time in his life, see fear. The look got him moving.

He walked briskly and grabbed her by the arm mindless of the wounds present. "Come on, let's get the van and get out of here. Marco, check it out first. See if anything has been tampered with." Marco ran ahead to do as he was told. When Jimmy and Annie got to the van, Annie was almost in a trance. Jimmy stood her to the side and joined Marco to speed things up. Nothing appeared to be messed with and a quick glance with the flashlight did not detect any footprints that were unusual. They climbed in with Marco behind the wheel and headed off to catch up with Daisy and Luke at headquarters.

"We gonna expedite Gutherie to Houston tonight?" Marco tried to get everyone's mind off the present subject.

"Um, no, he'll stay here a couple of days. I called HPD to schedule a pickup Wednesday using a more secure vehicle than they have way out here. He'll face preliminary trial back in Houston sometime next week, I think" Annie trailed off. Her earlier fear was gone and focus was starting to take over again. While Jimmy didn't like her shoving that fear deeper inside, he was glad to see the old Annie emerging. That Annie was familiar to him and he knew how to handle her a lot better.

Marco was glad that earlier cold feeling was dissipating. He had not known Annie as long as he had known her reputation. He carried a lot of respect for her and had always felt comfortable knowing she was their leader. Her earlier glimmer of fear in the darkness had been missed by him but he still knew that something was slightly off.

The rest of the evening went per protocol. They got Jack Gutherie booked and settled for the night. In two days he would be picked up to transfer via secure vehicle to Houston. The truck was scheduled to head up tomorrow for the pickup. Annie expected to get the call to appear in court either later this week or earlier next week to begin his preliminary trial as she had mentioned to Marco earlier. Basically, if all went well, this case had resulted in the deaths of too many wives and one little girl for Annie's comfort.

The team wearily climbed onto the jet to get back to Houston. They would land sometime after midnight. Annie would remain at headquarters well into the morning completing the paperwork. Annie dreaded that part. It was not interesting to her and worked at her nerves. But tonight, she didn't see sleep coming anytime soon so she might as well get the work out of the way. Briefly, she wondered if Jimmy would hang out at headquarters with her. She kinda wished he would. She had become attached to having him around.

Almost on cue, Jimmy flopped down in the seat next to her. "Hey, you staying at headquarters late to finish paperwork?"

"Yea" Annie was almost shocked that he read her mind. She leaned back in her seat briefly but jerked up when some of the leftover prickly pear needles pinched "Ow!"

Jimmy was giggling, "We might need to use some tape on some of those spots. It would help get those smaller prickles out. Here, lean forward and let me look." Annie bent at the waist. Her ripped shirt had spots of blood all over it. In the light of the plane, Jimmy was able to see how ripped up she really was. "Annie, ouch! We need to get you cleaned up when we get back. You don't want these getting infected." Annie sighed. Great, she was downed by a cactus. How would she fair against . . . a tiger!

She flinched out of the nightmare of her kidnapping when Jimmy pressed on a particularly sore spot. "Sorry, Boots. I can't see which cuts have those little prickers in them. Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?"

"If I had maybe you wouldn't have laughed so hard?" Annie was smug in her response. Jimmy just looked at her and nodded slightly, "Yea, I still would have laughed that hard." Annie threatened to punch him in the arm. "What? It was funny!" Annie snickered in response. It really was funny now that it was in the past. They both started laughing and Annie slumped back into her seat only to jerk forward when another cactus spine dug in. "ow, ugh!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi Everyone! All of your wonderful reviews and the fact that my husband helped with the chores this weekend gave me inspiration and the time to write write write. I am so happy to update with Chapter 7 tonight. I think this chapter gives away the direction I am heading but I hope to have some stuff up my sleeve to surprise you throughout the chapters ahead. Hope you enjoy! Suggestions are (believe me, they really ARE) always heard so send them my way if you have any.**

**Have a great week! If things continue, I hope to post again VERY soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chase or any of the characters.**

-\\-

"If I had maybe you wouldn't have laughed so hard?" Annie was smug in her response. Jimmy just looked at her and nodded slightly, "Yea, I still would have laughed that hard." Annie threatened to punch him in the arm. "What? It was funny!" Annie snickered in response. It really was funny now that it was in the past. They both started laughing and Annie slumped back into her seat only to jerk forward when another cactus spine dug in. "ow, ugh!"

-\\-

They had been at headquarters for over 2 hours. Annie was finishing up the paperwork and Jimmy was standing over her with the packaging tape gun in his hands. "You ready? We need to get your back cleaned up!"

Annie swatted at Jimmy randomly as she tried to finish the last of her typing. "Jimmy, you are crazy! Can't we go home and do that there?" The grin on Jimmy's face said he more than agreed with that idea. He grabbed his bag and Annie's and slowly backed toward the back door. Annie frantically ticked away at her keyboard, "wait, Jimmy, 5 more seconds. Hang on!" She stood up as she pressed the "Save" button and put her hands up in success. "Come on" Jimmy was calling as he started out the door. Annie clicked off her desk lamp and jogged through the dim light to catch up.

-\\-

Annie greeted her dog at the door and instantly went to fill his food bowl. "Dang, I need to take him out to do his business. The dog walker must have left like 8 hours ago, poor guy!" She set the dog bowl down and reached for 59s leash. Jimmy stopped her. "Hey, go take a shower. I can take care of the big guy. When we get back I can use the tape to try to get the cactus prickles out of your cuts." Annie smiled, handed Jimmy the leash and reached down to give 59 some love. "You guys have a good walk. He just goes around the block in the evening." Jimmy clipped on the leash and headed out the door.

-\\-

Annie got out of the shower and heard the front door close. 59 must have gone fast on his walk. She wasn't expecting them for a few more minutes. She wrapped herself in her robe and wandered out of the steamy bathroom. Annie's heart froze and she dropped the towel she had in her hands. In front of her stood someone she had never met but she knew exactly who he was. Manuel Cordova was leaning on a baseball bat casually waiting for Annie to emerge from the bathroom.

"Don't you look cute in your bathrobe? Hi Annie, my name is Manuel. I believe you knew my brother who is now incarcerated." As Manuel turned to pace in her living room, Annie sprinted toward her bedroom to lock the door. She ran headfirst into one of the Cordova thugs. "Damn" Annie flashed back to the night she was abducted from her SUV. It was happening all over again. That is except for one difference - Jimmy.

Annie started screaming at the top of her lungs. Jimmy had to be nearby with 59. He had to hear her. She got a good bellow in before the thug wrapped his massive hand around her head and covered her mouth sealing the loud sounds in. Annie bit down on his hand. She just needed a few more seconds of screaming and that is what she got before Manuel's fist shut her up.

Outside, 59 looked up and tensed instantly on alert. Jimmy noticed the change in Annie's dog and looked in the direction he was facing. It was toward Annie's loft but Jimmy heard and saw nothing. When he did hear it, 59 was already at a dead sprint for the loft pulling Jimmy like he weighed nothing. Were those Annie's screams? Crap! He had left her home alone! He had let his guard down! This could NOT be happening again!

Jimmy had his gun in his hand as they took the stairs to the front door in twos but it was too late. The front door was wide open with no one inside. Jimmy cleared each room while 59 frantically sniffed around the entire place. All he found was a wet towel at the entrance to the bathroom suggesting what had happened.

Jimmy dropped his arm with the gun and dialed Marco who picked up on the 2nd ring even with the hour being so late. "Marco, they got her. They got her again. Call Daisy and Luke and meet me at headquarters NOW." Jimmy was already sprinting toward the Escalade with 59 hot on his heels. Jimmy opened the car door and was shoved out of the way by the beefy Rottweiler who was determined not to be left behind. Jimmy didn't have time to kick him out of the car even if he could so he leapt in and had the SUV burning rubber toward headquarters team gathered in the wee hours before dawn. They were determined and focused even through the exhaustion from the day before. They had to find her NOW before the Cordova cartel had her over the border and out of their reach – again. "We know Manuel drives a black Mercedes SUV. Daisy get a bolo out on that car now." Daisy was already on the phone calling it in. Jimmy continued to pace the conference room floor with 59 shadowing his every move. "Luke, where do they keep their planes? Where was that field?"

"Off County Road 57 about 30 minutes from here. Jimmy, if he took her straight there, we could be too late!" Luke's eyes reflected his fear. Jimmy couldn't even look at him or he might lose it.

"Luke, call the sheriff's dept and see if they have anyone patrolling near that area. We need eyes to see if any planes are taking off. We need to know what Manuel is planning!" Jimmy was struggling to keep himself together. The nightmare was beginning again.

Luke ran off to call from his desk. Marco walked up behind Jimmy and put his hand on the Marshall's shoulder. "Jimmy, what happened? You were there. What happened?"

Jimmy just stood there almost in a trance and shook his head. "They must have been watching, Marco. I was gone for less than 10 minutes." Jimmy turned to Marco, "Less than ten minutes, Marco! Why wasn't I paying more attention? I knew she was in danger and I let my guard down." Jimmy leaned against the table defeated.

"Jimmy, let's go back to Annie's apartment and look for clues." Marco collected his boss and walked him toward the garage, 59 still on their heels. They needed to get there immediately and Marco was getting antsy to start looking for clues.

It took Marco 12 minutes to get to Annie's. That was a record. 59 almost jumped out of the half open window. Marco shared his anxiety. First things first, they had to examine the surrounding area for tire marks. The two men started wandering slowly examining every inch of the asphalt in front of the building. Jimmy gently rubbing the dog's head and mumbled "Look for clues big guy". It took only another few minutes when the Rottweiler started barking his head off. Marco and Jimmy looked at him startled. He had certainly found something. There next to the curb was a darkened spot where a tire had spun out. The tread had spun too dark at the curb but had feathered off as the tire caught traction. Marco took multiple photographs with his phone explaining to no one in particular, "I'll just send these photos to Bouf. . ." He followed his comment with a call, "Bouff, I just sent over photos of tire tracks. Can you match them to the tires we have on file? I need to know the make and model and what vehicle it could be associated with. How fast do you think you can do this?" There was a pause and Marco responded, "As soon as you can. This is serious!" Marco hung up and followed Jimmy up to the front door. "Jimmy, we need to call HPD. We need some detectives here to start investigating."

"Call em" Jimmy mumbled so low Marco barely heard him. Marco lifted his phone to his ear.

Jimmy trudged into the place that usually brought him happy times. It only seemed empty and filled him with dread now. Where had that asshole taken his . . . what was Annie to him now? Jimmy rubbed his eyes and scanned the living room. That is when he noticed it, the small pool of blood near the towel. There wasn't much but any of Annie's blood made Jimmy's heart squeeze. He went to it immediately and noticed the blood smeared across the floor almost to the door. How had he missed it? It was slight and faded from drying but it was there. Annie was injured and he had no idea how badly.

Jimmy's phone rang. It was Luke. Jimmy pushed the button to answer but didn't even need to say a word. "Jimmy, there has been no action at the mini-airport. All of the Cordova planes have been locked up in the hanger for months. The security guard for the neighboring hanger isn't even sure there are planes in the hanger. " Luke paused to take a breath. Then he quietly finished, "at least they didn't take her by plane." Jimmy answered, "yea. Thanks, Luke" and he hung up.

-\\-

Annie came to in the back of an SUV. Last time she had been tossed onto the back seat of a Suburban. This time she was very distinctly lying on the carpeted floor of a trunk area. But she had space and windows showing the pink of dawn. Her head was pounding and she could only see out of one eye. She touched the other to find it swollen shut. There was a cut above her eyelid that could probably use some stitches but for now, it had sealed up with a big scab. She felt woozy and sick and was having difficulty focusing on the task at hand. Why was she in her robe?

Annie was trying to piece together what had happened and she sat up to see if she could see out the window. She was lucky that no one was looking at the exact moment her blond head peered out of the back of the Mercedes. Manuel and his two lackeys were having a smoke and looking across a span of cement at the sun rising over the water.

"Sunrise over water. . .?" Annie croaked out. She winced at the noise and ducked her head back down as nausea overwhelmed her. Thinking hurt right now but she needed to work through the pain. She could not have much time before Manuel disposed of her. If it didn't hurt so badly she would have shuddered at the thought of tigers.

"Wait, why hasn't he killed me yet?" Annie held her head trying to think things through, "Jimmy!" Jimmy had destroyed the Cordova Cartel in his attempt to save her. She never knew the specifics. She never thought she wanted to know. But now she did.

They were using her as bait and it would help Jimmy's situation a lot if she knew everything. Annie was struggling to focus. The thought of Jimmy in trouble made her heart beat faster and her head pound. Her breathing quickened and she began to feel lightheaded again. The walls were closing in on her vision but she was willing herself to stay conscious. She needed to figure out everything she could to keep Jimmy safe but she was losing the battle and within minutes Annie blacked out


	8. Chapter 8

**SURPRISE! I had a chance to post Chapter 8 tonight. I wanted to apologize for last chapter - there were a lot of typos. This one may have a few, as well. I wanted to get it up and so did not really read it to make sure. So I apologize for grammar issues and any other mistakes you find!**

**To all of you who have reviewed (especially the repeat-ers), seriously thank you. It is your support that is keeping me excited about this story. I mean - I really like it but I never know if it is actually good. I hope you continue to enjoy. As always, if you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know! While it doesn't SEEM like I am listening, I really am. Keep in mind I am ahead a few chapters so you may not see the effect of your words right away.**

**Happy WEDNESDAY!**

-\\-

They were using her as bait and it would help Jimmy's situation a lot if she knew everything. Annie was struggling to focus. The thought of Jimmy in trouble made her heart beat faster and her head pound. Her breathing quickened and she began to feel lightheaded again. The walls were closing in on her vision but she was willing herself to stay conscious. She needed to figure out everything she could to keep Jimmy safe but she was losing the battle and within minutes Annie blacked out.

-\\-

Jimmy had updated the HPD detectives with the details of Annie's apartment. He didn't even care if they wondered why he knew it so well. One of the CSI's came out of the bedroom. "There isn't a robe. Does anyone know if she. . ."

"She was in the shower." Jimmy interrupted rubbing his forehead. How had he missed that? The towel lay on the floor outside the bathroom. She must have been in her robe. Jimmy was barely controlling his frustration and outright fury over the latest developments. Annie had been taken when she came out of the bathroom.

Daisy entered Annie's place and walked up to Marco. "How's he doing?" she jerked her head in Jimmy's direction. Marco just shook his head. Daisy nodded and approached Jimmy quietly. "Jimmy, let's go back to headquarters. They have things under control here. Marco can stay and send us updates as they come in. We need you to get things organized and it is getting late."

Jimmy followed Daisy down the stairs to her car. He opened the door to climb in but was knocked to the side by his new best friend. Apparently 59 was going everywhere Jimmy was going. Daisy chuckled as Jimmy rolled his eyes addressing the dog, "Please, be my guest."

They rode in silence back to the offices. When they arrived Daisy and 59 led the way as Jimmy stumbled behind deep in thought. He was reviewing every part of the night. Had he seen anything out of the ordinary when he took 59 for the walk? Had any strange car been in the neighborhood? Wracking his brain he found nothing. He could not think of one thing.

Jimmy walked around the Rottweiler who had beaten him to his desk, pat him on the head and sat in his seat. He decided to do some research about all the different cars he could remember seeing over the past two or three days. Maybe seeing these cars would shake something in his head and help him remember something.

-\\-

Annie woke again in a sunbeam. She could not remember where she was at first. Her eye was killing her and her head was still pounding. Annie rubbed her temples careful not to come too close to her orbital bone and wrapped her robe tighter around her. Was she still in the same car? The carpet looked the same but the light hitting the car was different. Why were they waiting in the same spot? Annie peeked over the window edge and saw only the two lackeys.

Annie knew that if she snuck over the back seat and was able to open the side door, maybe she could slink out and run to safety. It was at that point that Annie realized why they were at their current location. There was not one place for Annie to hide, not for miles. If she made it to the water, the closest escape route, she would have to survive the 30 foot drop into a busily travelled boat lane at what appeared to be the widest part of the San Jacinto river. In a robe without a life preserver and with a head injury, she didn't think she would make it very far. She needed to think of other options before the inevitable happened. They were going to catch Jimmy. She knew they would if she were used as bait. He would come reliably and would give his life for her protection. She had to prevent it from coming to that. Annie set herself to concocting a foolproof escape plan. Keeping her mind moving was good for clearing her addled brain. She peered out the window again. Quickly, too quickly, Annie spun around searching for Manuel. Her sight starting to spin frantically but she needed to locate him for her own safety. She could not find him anywhere. Were they here waiting for something? As she looked toward the front of the truck, the back hatch whipped open and a cloth was placed on her mouth and nose. She had little fight and it took no time at all for darkness to come to Annie for a third time.

-\\-

Jimmy had found almost nothing in his research and he was getting more and more impatient when Bouff marched up to his desk with Daisy trailing behind him. "The tires are common. They are stock on most high-end SUVs like…"

"Mercedes?" Jimmy interrupted increasingly more irritated. They were spinning their wheels – no pun intended. Bouff nodded at him and just looked defeated. "Where is Marco, Daisy? Has he come back from Ann- the crime scene yet?"

Daisy responded, "yes".

"When? Did they find anything else?" Jimmy was starting to get frantic. It was so rare that anyone ever saw him like this that every member of the team was instantly paying attention.

Marco stepped up immediately. "We didn't find anything, Jimmy. Only the blood you already knew about. They must have been wearing gloves. Manuel hires henchmen who are much more professional than his brother did." Jimmy sighed heavily letting his chin fall to his chest. The canine beast at his feet stared up at him waiting for the answers that he couldn't find.

"I'll be back in a bit." Jimmy walked out toward the cars. He needed to get back to Annie's place. He needed to be surrounded by her so he could think. This was happening again and he needed to keep things under control before he got out of hand like the last time. He opened the door to the Escalade and allowed 59 to jump in first, his new partner. Off they headed back to Annie's loft in the hopes of thinking of a plan.

Sitting on the couch in her living room, it took exactly one half hour for Jimmy to concoct a path for the team to follow. He handed 59 a cookie and shut the door to the apartment. Deep in thought, he headed down the stairs and to the truck and drove off.

He was methodically breaking down each team member's roll in his plan when a car turned directly into his path. Jimmy slammed on the brakes instantly pulled from his thoughts. The truck behind him smashed full speed into the back of his SUV propelling it forward with even more velocity. The T-bone impact was unavoidable and vicious as the Escalade obliterated the back half of the car. Jimmy was thrown violently forward toward the steering wheel but the seatbelt caught and spun him toward the door slightly. He had enough time to thank the powers that be that Annie's dog was not with him before his forward thrust was halted by the violently released airbag. Jimmy was smacked senseless. His face was a bloody mess.

-\\-

The radio report came streaming into the bullpen immediately, Daisy frantically flagging Marco and Luke over to her desk. "Annie's onstar just reported there has been a terrible accident" Daisy's voice was shaking. "It happened again but this time with Jimmy. The Escalade is totaled. There were multiple cars involved but we don't know who they were or how many because all of the cars and Jimmy. . ." Daisy looked them all in the eye as she paused and then continued, "are gone."

"You mean only Jimmy's car was left – or Annie's?" Marco mumbled confused and concerned. Daisy nodded staring at the ground, "With no Jimmy inside. Just like Pablo's people did when they kidnapped Annie."

"It's like they don't have time to think of other ways….. Wait, isn't there a camera in that intersection?" Luke interjected quickly.

Daisy and Marco looked up immediately. "Yes there is." They said at the same time. Everyone ran to Luke's computer as he madly typed in access to the camera footage. They could see the live feed of Annie's Escalade in a heap in the middle of the intersection surrounded by cops. The violence of the impact was clear. "We gotta get Bouff to call up the archive footage of this camera." Daisy called back as she ran toward the inner office area. Marco and Luke took off to follow her.

-\\-

"Bouff – I need you to find some archival footage for the traffic camera on the corner of Washington and Houston!" Daisy was shouting as she sprinted into the crowded tech room startling Bouff.

"Hang on, let me call it up" he rambled as he typed frantically into his system. In 3 seconds the camera was up on the big monitor. "What times are we looking for?"

"The onstar call came in 20 minutes ago. They sent police, ambulance and fire to the intersection when they didn't get a response from the driver." Daisy was just stating the facts trying to hold it all together. To have both of the team's most important members missing was almost too terrifying to think about.

Bouff called up 40 minutes to 30 minutes prior to their current time in the hopes that that 10 minute time frame would contain the accident footage. He was right on. There, on the big monitor, was the horrific pile-up. The 4 Marshalls watched as men grabbed Jimmy's unconscious body and dragged him out of the smashed windshield. His face was clearly bloody and even in the bad focus of the camera, it was clear that he was pretty banged up.

"I hope he doesn't have a serious back injury. . ." Luke randomly whispered stating one of the many things on all of their minds as they watched them drag Jimmy's body toward a waiting black Suburban and toss him inside. Within moments of the actual crash, both the front car and the back car were dragged onto waiting flat beds and carted off. Annie's smashed hulk of an SUV was left alone.

"That took them between 6 and 7 minutes to have the accident and clear it. And I couldn't make out one license plate" Bouff stated. Marco, Daisy and Luke nodded together in agreement as they all squinted at the mushy images on the monitor.

"Rewind! Bouff rewind now!" Luke was adamant as he stepped closer to the screen. Bouff did as he was told until Luke called, "STOP!" Luke pointed immediately at one of the flatbeds. "See that! That is a license number! Tow trucks are required to show the company license number on the side! The other truck was at such an angle that I couldn't read it but this one you can!"

Luke was already typing the number into his iPad to see who owned this vehicle. "Bob's Wrecking service in Sugar Land. I'll call right now." Luke finished before Daisy could get the words out of her mouth.

"We are going to have to tell the chief" Daisy said as she looked at Marco. "He needs to know." Marco nodded and they both headed toward his office.

-\\-

"So we have no idea where either of them are right now?" The chief had just been briefed on the latest.

"No sir. Annie disappeared early this morning around 2:30am. Jimmy was taken at exactly 12:23pm." Marco recited.

"This is the Cordova Cartel" the chief sighed heavily and the room became silent as everyone concentrated on the case. "Ok, well, I am going to join you. It has been a while since I have been a part of the bullpen so I may leave the 3 of you to your own devices but I want you all reporting to me at the beginning and ending of every day and if there are any changes in the case. You both will update Luke on this. I will see you in the conference room in 2 hours. I want to know everything you can find out about the crime scene at Annie's apartment and Jimmy's accident. And Marco, I want you to use your connections with Narc unit to get any recent movements in the Cordova circles."

Marco nodded and he and Daisy headed back out to the bullpen to update Luke and start the work the chief had given them when Luke came sprinting up to them. "Manuel Cordova is on the phone! He wants to talk to the new head of our team!" Luke was out of breath and equally confused. Who was the new head of the team? Did they need a new head of the team?

Daisy put her hand on Luke's arm, "Luke, forward the call to the chief's office" and she turned and ran to update him before the call came in. Luke turned and transferred the call immediately.

The chief turned on the speaker phone so all could hear when the call came in. He and Daisy were joined shortly by Marco and then Luke as they all wanted to know what was going on. Bouff, of course, was already trying to trace the call. "What can I do for you" the chief began.

A course voice instantly filled the room, "Who is this? Who am I speaking to?"

"This is Edward Brown" and he paused long enough to see how cool the voice on the other line was. He got the reaction he wanted.

"Well, Edward, I have two of your fellow Marshalls and I will decide if you get them back in one piece. I just have a list of desires. If I get everything I want, I MIGHT release them. I will get that list to you soon." And the line went dead.

Chief Edward pushed the off button and silenced the room. He looked up at Marco, Daisy and Luke who were focused directly at him. They looked determined to do whatever it took to get their two leaders back but he knew they were going to have an uphill battle. With his name associated with this case, it had to be done completely by the book. Dealing with a cartel under those circumstances made it a lot more difficult. He looked down and sighed. "OK, what do we know about the two crime scenes?"

Luke piped up first, "One of the flat beds from Jimmy's abduction was from Bob's Wrecking service in Sugar land. I have left a message to find out who was the driver of that tru-"

"Chief, I was able to trace that call to a cell tower near I90 and the Sam Houston Toll road" Bouff had come blundering into the office mindless of other conversation. "He could be driving or parked, I have no idea." Bouff visibly slumped over with the generic-ness of the information. "Sorry, I guess that really isn't much help" he mumbled as he stared at the floor. "I did look up the number. As predicted it is a disposable phone with no information associated with it."

"OK, we need to concentrate. We need to find some overlap in this case. That is where we can begin to get an outline of where they are keeping Annie and Jimmy. Daisy, I want you to put the map of Houston up in the conference room and the three of you need to start identifying locations now." Chief Edward's voice was just what the group needed. They filed out of his office with new vigor.

-\\-

He wanted to hold his head while it pounded but he couldn't raise his left arm. He shifted his position and the jab of two broken ribs caused him to grunt heavily. He opened his eyes. At least he tried to open his eyes. His broken nose had swelled up and caused his eyes to swell almost shut. Did anything not hurt


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this took so long to get up. I was re-reading what I had been writing and realized I had some time-line issues. So I have been repairing those. Just to let you all know (Pianogirl and ChaseROCKS) Ben is in Chapter 10! I hope to be able to upload that Chapter early next week if I can.**

**Enjoy and have a great weekend!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chase or any of the characters.**

-\\-

He wanted to hold his head while it pounded but he couldn't raise his left arm. He shifted his position and the jab of two broken ribs caused him to grunt heavily. He opened his eyes. At least he tried to open his eyes. His broken nose had swelled up and caused his eyes to swell almost shut. Did anything not hurt?

"Jimmy!" Annie's voice was breathless with worry. "Shhhhh – you are in bad shape. I need you to lay still and answer my questions, ok?" Jimmy grunted in response and he lay back on the hard concrete floor. Annie squeezed his right ankle first. Jimmy flinched slightly. "Is it a sharp pain?"

"No" Jimmy gasped, "just sore."

Annie moved to the left ankle and got no reaction from Jimmy so she headed up to the knees. She could feel the swelling on Jimmy's right knee first. She pressed gently and moved the knee cap around. It was still intact which was a good sign. He probably just had a contusion from the steering column. The left knee seemed ok but she pressed on it anyway. Jimmy was quiet – wait, too quiet? "Jimmy!" She whisper-shouted in his face. He needed to stay awake.

"What" came the stern pain-filled response. Jimmy was talking thru his teeth that were firmly clenched in agony.

Annie put her hand to her forehead in relief. "Sorry, I thought you had passed out again. Jimmy, how is your right knee? Does it hurt?"

"No" another grunted answer.

She continued up his body further to feel the girdle of his pelvis for any break. She knew this was sensitive for a man but she needed to know before she moved him. It felt intact to her but she glanced up at Jimmy's face for confirmation. There planted on his bloodied face was the Jimmy grin that warmed her soul but it was temporary as the grimace of pain replaced it.

Annie deserted her search for all of Jimmy's broken bones and scooted up to his face. She held it between her hands and looked into his swollen eyes. She had always counted on Jimmy to pull her out of a mess. He had been the grounding force in her life. He had kept her safe. Now he was counting on her to get them out of this mess. She was to blame. They had used her as bait because predictably, Jimmy would come to her rescue and be an easy mark. "Well, you seem to be whole from the waist down."

A gurgled laugh was the response from Jimmy. "Ugh, please don't make me laugh." Jimmy tried to squinch up his face in pain but that hurt his broken nose, "Ugh." Jimmy was starting to pant. Annie had her hands gently touching his shoulders as she stared intently at the blood on Jimmy's lip. She was suspecting broken ribs and that could lead to a punctured lung.

"Jimmy, shhhhhh, calm down. You can't laugh. Jimmy, you have at least two broken ribs…"

"And I could puncture a lung, yea, I am completely familiar with the order of things." Jimmy gasped his interruption. Jimmy's raspy breathing worried Annie more and more.

She was going to have to be counted on to save the both of them. Could Jimmy handle that? He was going to have to!

"OK, Jimmy just answer with a shake or nod the best you can, ok?" Jimmy slowly nodded looking Annie sharply in the eye. Annie opened Jimmy's shirt and carefully pulled up his undershirt. She wanted to see what she was dealing with.

Even in the dim light she could see the bruising where the airbag had punched Jimmy on the right side. He must have spun in his seat when the airbag deployed. She closed her eyes for a second trying to keep the horror at bay. She could not show Jimmy her concern.

Annie blindly felt for Jimmy's shoulder. He hissed in pain when she found what she was looking for. His collar bone was broken and it was displaced. She could feel how severe it was with her fingertips. When she opened her eyes, Jimmy's face was turning white/grey. The pain was putting him in shock. This could not happen!

Annie carefully stripped Jimmy's shirt off. She let the robe she was wearing drop around her feet as she pulled his shirt over her own shoulders. She needed the thicker, warmer robe to keep Jimmy from going into shock. Standing around in only her underwear wasn't going to do anyone any good. She carefully tucked the robe around Jimmy trying not to cause him any more pain. She needed him to survive and it was starting to look bleak.

As Annie sat next to Jimmy trying to keep him alive, she began looking around at their environment. She had been dumped here shortly after mid morning. At the time Annie had felt too woozy to venture around her surroundings. It had been just after 1pm when they discarded Jimmy in a heap next to her. Even though he was unconscious, he had groaned in pain. Annie spent, according to Jimmy's watch, about 5 minutes trying to get him to wake up.

This was the first time she had taken the time to understand her surroundings. They were clearly in some sort of container box. Annie sniffed the air. It had that fresh dirt smell, like after a fresh rain. Had she ever smelled that before? Jimmy's breath labored away, his head in her lap. "Keep breathing" Annie whispered and kissed Jimmy's forehead.

-\\-

"Daisy, I just finished talking to Agent Perez" Marco said as he entered the conference room. Daisy spun around and narrowed her eyes on Marco. Agent Perez had been very aware of what Marco and Jimmy had done to get Annie back and Daisy was apprehensive getting him in this mix when the chief was running the show.

"Daisy, he knows the Cordova cartel like the back of his hand. He helped us bring them down. Technically he and I are in danger of being their next target." Marco shoved his hands in his pockets while he looked sincerely at Daisy. Daisy nodded, "What did he say?"

"He said that they were aware of Manuel but weren't sure until now what his intentions are. Apparently the lines have been active again. The Cordova family wants their territory back and Manuel isn't really into negotiations. I think we are going to be seeing some collateral damage within the Satevo cartel soon."

"They want their territory back from the Satevo cartel…" Daisy repeated quietly. "Marco, where were the old Cordova drug drop sites? Do we know?"

Marco's eyes brightened and he walked up to the map. He ran his finger up the San Jacinto river and paused and pointed at three different spots along the way. "Here, here and here were known drop-offs. You think we should go check them out?"

Before Daisy could answer, Bouff came blundering into the room out of breath. Everyone knew he had a soft spot for Annie so his nerves were clearly frayed over the fact that she was missing. "Another call to the chief! You gotta come…. Now…" Bouff sprinted out of the conference room with Daisy and Marco on his heels.

They could hear the loud voice of Manuel Cordova over the speaker phone before they made it into his office. Luke was already there. "Here is my short list of demands, 1. my brother gets released, 2. my family's property holdings in south Houston, Sugar Land and Crescent Oaks get reallocated back to my family and we are allowed to move back in and live peacefully. And finally, 3. all vehicles, airplanes and cars, that were previously confiscated get returned to my family. Oh, and 4. you leave my family alone! Do you have any questions about these 4 points? I am prepared to stay on the line for as long as you need. I know you are tracing the call. Just try to find me. HAHAHAHAHA – you won't." Manuel's sarcastic angry voice made everyone on the team even more concerned for Annie and Jimmy.

The chief responded after giving some pause, "Before I ask any questions, I want an update on my Marshals. If they are dead, it dramatically changes my questions. I need proof they are still alive." Somehow he was able to keep his voice controlled and calm.

"Do you have any questions about my list of demands?" Manuel was not prepared for the chief's response and it confused the team. He should have prepared for that reaction! It was a common reaction! Had they just found one of Manuel's weaknesses? A chink in his armor?

Calmly Brown repeated, "proof. I need proof."

"Then they can die!" Manuel screamed into the phone and hung up. He was completely out of control and Brown looked up at the team in front of him. This case was getting worse by the minute as Manuel's temper elevated beyond white hot. "I think there is something else going on with him."

-\\-

Jimmy was getting worse, Annie could hear it and feel it. She had to get him to a hospital and soon. She took a deep breath and started devising her plan.

She had found that they were in a storage container. It was long and narrow with the only light coming in from the ends where the doors didn't quite seal. Annie crawled over to the edge to see if the crack revealed any information about what to expect outside. She saw more metal. That was it. Perhaps they were sitting on some sort of pallet or something. She really could not see. What she could feel was that the box had been getting steadily hotter and the fresher cool air coming through the crack helped her realize how much hotter it had gotten inside. This was yet another reason to get the two of them out of there as soon as possible.

Annie came back over to Jimmy and looked at the watch on his wrist. It was almost 4pm. Luckily the heat of the day was behind them. Jimmy had been with her in the container for 3 hours now. He had been suffering through the immense agony for over 3 hours now and it was taking its toll on him.

Annie went back over to the door and searched the gloom for any sort of door opener. But that wouldn't make sense to have a container be open-able from the inside, would it? Annie's rattled brain was trying to think it all through when a shadow cast across the crack in the door; Annie scurried back to Jimmy's side in an attempt to block him from view.

The doors swung open and in walked Manuel Cordova. Even though she had met him the night of her abduction, she saw him again as a taller version of his brother and significantly more muscular. "Well, it has gotten hot in here, hasn't it? Kinda makes you wonder how people survive when they are packed in like cargo to be tossed over the border, huh? Maybe you don't wonder… Hmmm …" Manuel paced distracted. Then he continued suddenly agitated, "Your team better give me what I want. If they don't, you will have other fears to worry about."

Annie had stood upon his entrance and Manuel stepped up to her and looked down at her, face to face. "I think you know what I am talking about." Annie glared eye to eye fixated on not backing down or showing any weakness.

Manuel broke the eye contact by wandering around the back of her. It gave Annie a moment to focus on the view outside. Was that the gravel mill outside? How had she gone from the San Jacinto River just south of downtown to the shipbuilding jetty almost ten miles away without feeling the movement?

Then she remembered the white cloth that had covered her nose and mouth. She hadn't been able to fight back at the time, her head still spinning from the earlier blow to the head. Annie touched her eye remembering the blow. It still felt puffy but she could finally see out of it.

Deep in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten about Manuel's presence until he rounded in front of her. "Ah, I see my work has left its mark" he chuckled arrogantly.

Annie's simmering anger instantly boiled over and she swung full force with her right hand at her rival's head. He grabbed her fist in mid air and grabbed her neck with his free hand. Annie struggled to breathe as she tried to figure out why her normally strong punch was so easily thwarted. Manuel threw Annie to his feet as if she weighed nothing and bent over. His eyes were frantic. Annie knew the answer immediately and it terrified her. Manuel had been sampling his own goods.

He was amped up on something and it gave him Herculean strength. Annie rolled as fast as she could away from his vicious kick but she was too late. The metallic toe on his boot caught her right in the ribcage. It took the air right out of her. She had to calm him down and get him out of there if she and Jimmy were going to survive this. Escape would have to wait for another time.

Annie knew that pretending to be passed out was her only answer. She prayed that Jimmy would stay still so that Manuel didn't remember he was even there. She lay there like an opossum. Manuel was screaming down at her, foaming at the mouth and shaking all over. He kicked her one more time and Annie bit her lip to keep from yelping. When there was no reaction, Manuel stood up and wandered like a rabid animal out the door of the container and off toward his car.

Annie tried to sigh in relief but it hurt so she just grunted. "Boots, are you ok?" Jimmy tried to keep his voice raspy and calm but he was terrified. For the first time he wasn't able to keep her safe. He couldn't even move. Annie scurried over to his side mindless of the pain in her ribcage.

"Jimmy, don't talk. Shhhhhh. I am ok, I am ok. Just stay still. Nod or shake, is your breathing getting worse?" Annie was petrified. She knew that the window to get Jimmy to a hospital was closing quickly. Jimmy started to shake his head but knew she needed to know the truth. He nodded slightly panting. The pain was getting worse. Annie blinked tears out of her eyes. There was no time to cry right now. She needed to figure something out – NOW.


	10. Chapter 10

**SO sorry this took so long. I have not deserted this story, I promise. Life has been so busy! I promise to be better at updating. I will apologize bc I did not proof read this chapter as much as I should have. Also, I am suffering a bit of writer's block so I am trying to power through that.**

**I hope you all enjoy.**

-\\-

"Jimmy, don't talk. Shhhhhh. I am ok, I am ok. Just stay still. Nod or shake, is your breathing getting worse?" Annie was petrified. She knew that the window to get Jimmy to a hospital was closing quickly. Jimmy started to shake his head but knew she needed to know the truth. He nodded slightly panting. The pain was getting worse. Annie blinked tears out of her eyes. There was no time to cry right now. She needed to figure something out – NOW.

-\\-

"We need a clue!" Marco threw his pen at the table in frustration. "We need to get to them NOW! Jimmy has got to be in pretty bad shape." Marco's fear was shared by the rest.

Luke sighed heavily and rested his head on the conference table. No one had slept in 33 hours. Daisy and Marco seemed used to it. Luke was new to the concept and was struggling to keep his concentration. Daisy patted his back as she walked by to stare at the map again. There had to be something they were missing. Then she had an idea.

Daisy walked out of the conference room toward Bouff's desk. She had a new bounce in her step. She was talking before she even got to the tech guy's desk. "Bouff, I have two ideas. First, can you replay the call brother Cordova made to the chief's phone? Maybe we can break down background noise."

"I already thought of that. I was just about finished. Check this out." He pushed a button and noises popped up on the external speakers. "Here, let me put another filter on it." Out of the speaker squawked the very distinct sound of seagulls. But there was a mechanical growl deep in the background. It was constant like a white noise. Bouff replayed the audio again. "Do you hear that?" Daisy was holding her fingers to her ears hoping that by cupping them she could catch more sound from the speakers.

"What?" Bouff replayed the clip again.

"That background machine sound or some constant sound. It is in the background. It is like a whirring sound or something. What makes that sound near a place where there are seagulls?" Daisy finally looked him in the eye. "We need to figure this out. Jimmy's life has to be on the line after what he has been through. We don't even know where Annie is. . ." Daisy trailed off and she looked down.

"What was your other idea?" Bouff cleared his throat.

"Oh, um, do we know what year of Mercedes SUV Manuel has? I mean, if his car is newer, it could have that chip in it to trace it." Daisy seemed exhausted suddenly and she exhaled in a heavy sigh. Bouff shook his head and mumbled dejectedly "They must have had it turned off or somehow removed. I already thought of it and checked."

Daisy put her hands in her pockets and wandered out feeling even more confused and depleted. She entered the bullpen area and headed toward her desk but something caught her eye. Coming in the front door was a familiar face and Daisy turned and marched right up to the Bounty Hunter. "Ben Crowley, what are you doing here?"

"Hey Daisy" he smiled his normally heart melting smile but it wasn't as sincere. There were deeper lines of concern etched into that handsome face. "Can we talk?" Ben started walking toward the kitchen and Daisy followed him.

They grabbed a cup of coffee each and sat down at the table. "I think I know where they took Annie." Ben got right to the point staring at Daisy.

"How did you know about Annie?" Daisy was concerned that word had gotten out and others would think the Marshall's office had become weak in their security.

"Relax; I was searching for a particularly nasty criminal when I stumbled upon a conversation with the new Cordova head." Ben took a sip of his coffee and looked at Daisy with worry in his eyes. In a low voice he said, "Do you know where she is? Is she OK?"

"I don't…." Daisy cleared her throat, "we don't know." There was a pause and Daisy continued, "Ben, Jimmy is gone, too. We don't even know where to start. Do you have anything to help us?"

Ben shook his head and looked deep into his cup of coffee, "Not yet. But I will."

Daisy looked across the table. She had had her suspicions of Annie and Ben's relationship but she was under the impression that Annie and Jimmy had become closer since he had broken it off with Natalie. She wondered if Ben knew any of this. If he didn't, he would soon. But until that happened, having him on their team significantly raised their odds. "Come with me, Ben."

Daisy led them back to Bouff's office again. "Hey Bouff, can you replay that audio again?" She asked nicely.

Without even looking up, he keyed in some info into the computer than reached forward to turn up the speakers. Again the background noise of seagulls and that whirring mechanical sound pounded out of the speakers. When the clip ended, Bouff restarted it. Ben stared ahead. Daisy watched the back of his head hoping he had answers. Bouff just stared at his keyboard so he could replay the clip when it ended.

-\\-

Annie was running every idea that she could through her head. Jimmy had been dozing in and out of consciousness while she distractedly rubbed his forehead to calm him. An hour had gone by and it was getting close to 5:30pm. There hadn't been a sound outside; the whirring of the gravel mill had halted at 5pm, as predicted. Annie knew exactly where they were but for how long?

As if on cue, loud truck sounds rumbled outside. Annie ran to the front and tried to look out the crack in the door as if that would help but she could see nothing. "Annie, what's going on?" Jimmy was trying to sit up. "Shhhh, Jimmy lay back down! You need to not displace those ribs! You can't puncture your lung." Jimmy rolled his eyes. He needed to be more involved. He couldn't just take a back seat and let Annie do something crazy – as she usually did.

Outside they both heard beeping as the truck was backing up. Annie's eyes grew as big as saucers as she put it all together. "Jimmy, I gotta get you into the back of the container! They are loading us on a truck! "

He instantly knew what she meant, "Annie, I need you to help me. My shoulder and my ribs… I can't do it fast enough" he said grunting while trying to lean forward. Annie was at his side instantly apologizing. She was trying to find the best, safest, most pain-free way to grab Jimmy's tortured body to help drag him to the end of the container. Nothing was available. His shoulder prevented her from reaching under his arms. His ribs prevented her from grabbing him around the chest.

"Sorry, Jimmy, this is the only way I can do this" Annie grabbed Jimmy unceremoniously (and rather embarrassingly) by his left leg and started dragging him toward the back wall of the container. She was running out of time by the sounds of the truck outside. Jimmy was horrified but in too much pain to do anything about it. No sooner did Jimmy get close to position when the entire container tilted up.

It was being mounted on a truck for travel with the two Marshalls inside as baggage. If Annie had not gotten Jimmy to the end in time, it would have been a nasty fall into a steel wall. Jimmy knew she had spared him more pain and injury and he was infinitely thankful. With all of his will, he was trying to conserve what little of his energy he had left just in case. Just in case…

Within the next 2 hours, the container was loaded onto yet another mode of transportation – train car. Annie could tell by the sounds outside though it had been difficult to hear much of anything over the truck. "Jimmy, are you ok? Are you awake?"

"Yep!" Jimmy grunted. It was different to hear Annie playing his usual role and it got Jimmy thinking. He had been in numerous relationships, if you wanted to call them that. The most serious had been Natalie. But he had always had an escape plan. He never really thought of any of these relationships as being forever. So, what about Annie? Before all this craziness, they were starting something. It was just the beginning of this connection and he already had in his head that forever was coming. Annie could be his forever. Was he ready for a forever?

The container made a jerky landing on the train car. The bump radiated through his badly broken collar-bone and Jimmy was yanked out of his deep thoughts by the pain.

"Oh Man!" Jimmy yelped. Annie was at his side instantly. "Jimmy, can I put the robe sleeve under your head and shoulder? Will that make this floor a little softer for you?" She was desperately concerned about him. Jimmy just looked at her. He wanted to reach up and touch her face. Make her not worry. But the pain was too intense and he could only nod his head looking forward to her gentle touch.

Annie wrapped the sleeve up and under his injured shoulder and then under his head. The soft terrycloth felt good compared to the hard floor. He closed his eyes and did his best to take a deep breath. He opened his eyes when he felt a soft kiss on his forehead. Annie was looking down at him sporting one of the worst black eyes he had ever seen. How had he missed this?

"Annie!" Jimmy lifted his good arm up and touched her puffy eye. "Did Manuel hit you?" Annie nodded but smiled. "Don't worry, he knocked some sense into me" she giggled trying to lighten the mood. Jimmy gurgled trying not to laugh too hard and Annie quietly apologized with a look on her face.

-\\-

They were sprinting to Ben's vehicle, Daisy actually chasing him demanding that he stop immediately. Ben did. In the middle of the front steps he turned on Daisy. "They are at the gravel mill at the Shipbuilding Yard off of the i10 freeway! Daisy, I can guarantee we do NOT have much time left if they are even still there! We do not have time. You either go WITH me or I go alone!" Daisy nodded and ran with Ben to his truck.

As soon as she got in his pick-up, Daisy called Marco on her cell. "Marco, I am with Ben Crowley. He heard the audio clip we had. He thinks they are at the shipbuilding park gravel yard. I need you to organize HPD and meet us over there as soon as you can!"

Marco hung up the phone after agreeing to Daisy's request. What was Ben Crowley doing in the mix? This was going to make things even more interesting knowing Annie's history with the bounty hunter. Marco walked up to Luke's desk. "Daisy and Ben are on their way to a possible location." Luke spun on his heel and looked at Marco in shock. "Ben Crowley the bounty hunter?" Marco nodded his head smiling.

"Hunh…" Luke looked into space with his mouth left open in shock. Marco punched him in the arm, "she asked me to meet them over there with HPD as fast as we can." Luke snapped out of it, "Got it. I'll call right now"

"Good, I am going to update the chief. Let me know when you are ready to go and we can head out." Marco headed toward Edward Brown's office and Luke picked up the phone. It was almost 5:30pm. They had just over 3 more hours of daylight.

-\\-

The freeway was stacking up with commuter traffic and it had taken Daisy and Ben a bit longer than they had hoped. By the time Ben had turned down the road leading to the gravel yard, it was almost 6:15pm. He was sweating and silently agitated as his truck bumped down the industrial road toward their destination. 18 wheelers dragging trailers were trundling by carting containers full of materials to the train yard or a ship yard but neither paid them any mind. They were focused on their destination.

Ben skidded to a stop on the rough sandy lot and both of them leaped out to look around. The wind blew dust devils around them as they spun around for any clue. Ben was getting angrier and angrier the less he could find. Daisy just started looking at the ground for any track in the shifty sand that she could identify. Where the road sort of ended into the sandy lot, there was a deeper spot of loose ground. In that area, Daisy started to detect tire prints. Tire prints that looked a lot like the generic SUV tire print that Marco had sent to Bouff to analyze. "Ben! Over here!" Daisy called.

"This tire print – it doesn't fit in this area of mill." Ben nodded starting to follow the print to a possible stopping point. After several minutes of struggling where the wind had swept away the prints, they were able to determine a place where the car turned around. Ben sighed and rubbed his forehead. Daisy just kept her head down looking for more.

Suddenly Daisy found it! "Ben, a container was moved from right here next to where the car turned around! It couldn't be long ago bc the deep scrapes have not dried in the wind and sun." Daisy swallowed and looked at Ben, "Do you think they drove right by us and we didn't even know…?"

Marco, Luke and two HPD squad cars pulled up interrupting Daisy. The limited cavalry had arrived and they could use the extra manpower. The three Marshalls convened by where Daisy had found the deep grooves in the ground. "We are so close" Daisy updated them on everything she and Ben had found. "They are either on their way or at a shipyard or a train depot. We need to spread out if we are going to find them. How many do we have?" Daisy started counting heads.

"There are eight of us" Ben answered before she finished. "You need to pick your teams. Half should go to the nearest train yard, the rest to the nearest shipyard. We need to be searching already if we hope to find them."

Marco nodded. "You and you, follow me and Luke to the nearest train depot. You and you are with Daisy and Ben heading to the shipyard." Marco was taking control. He nodded at Ben and ran back to his vehicle with Luke running alongside.

Daisy looked at Ben and they turned to climb in his truck. Ben punched shipyard names into his GPS and 4 locations instantly popped up. They were off in a swirl of dust with the HPD police car hot on their trail. The nearest shipyard was less than a mile away. There were numerous containers stacked throughout the yard waiting to be loaded on the floating barges and ships. This was going to prove a monumental task! They jumped out and started their work. Daisy spoke with the yard supervisor and within minutes, they had the help of 5 additional shipyard workers.

Marco and Luke had a bit further to go. The nearest train depot with a line that was useable was about 2 miles up the road. They rode in silent concentration until Luke was hit with an idea. "Marco, do you think one of the HPD guys could go get 59?" Marco turned to look at Luke. "That is a brilliant idea! 59 would find Annie any day. I bet he would find Jimmy, too!" Luke smiled his big toothy grin and picked up his phone to place his request.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope everyone is still liking this. I continue to stumble through a frustrating bout of writer's block but I am doing my best to push on. I normally do not like when writers beg for reviews but I can see why they do. It truly inspires me when I know people like what I have written (or have suggestions). So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews! They have brought me huge smiles.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I apologize to newgurl87. I felt it necessary to post without thoroughly editing. I will strive harder to edit more on future chapter uploads.**

**Thanks!**

-\\-

Marco and Luke had a bit further to go. The nearest train depot with a line that was useable was about 2 miles up the road. They rode in silent concentration until Luke was hit with an idea. "Marco, do you think one of the HPD guys could go get 59?" Marco turned to look at Luke. "That is a brilliant idea! 59 would find Annie any day. I bet he would find Jimmy, too!" Luke smiled his big toothy grin and picked up his phone to place his request.

-\\-

The two battered Marshalls felt the train start about 5 minutes prior and Annie's anger was starting to get piqued. She HAD to do something to get them OUT of this container and the waiting was making her steam.

Annie stood up quickly (almost too quickly as her head swam for a second) and she stumbled toward the container door. Jimmy turned his head slightly to watch her progress. The breeze from the crack in the front of the container was bringing in enough air to ruffle his shirt that she was wearing. Her feet were bare and dirty. From this distance, he could not tell if the dirt was blood but he had his suspicions and he glanced away.

Annie slammed her shoulder against the door in frustration. The sound grabbed Jimmy's attention immediately. "Annie, don't do that. You're only going to hurt yourself. We have to just wait until we stop and they open the door. Come here and let's discuss a plan."

Annie dragged herself back to his side. She looked weary and bordering on hopeless. He was going to need to grab her focus from their current circumstance if he was going to be able to count on her. Knowing Annie as he did, it wouldn't be too hard. Together they started thinking.

-\\-

Marco and Luke and the two officers stood at the train depot. There were random containers all over the place. They had no idea where to start. At first they walked amongst the stacks but those cargo holders had been there for too long to contain the missing Marshalls. Just as they were starting to lose hope, another HPD unit pulled up. The officer leapt out of the vehicle and whipped open the back door to release a frantic Rottweiler.

"59!" Marco and Luke yelled together. The dog came blundering toward them at full speed trailing his leash behind him. Luke waived thanks to the officers and grabbed the leash. "Find them, 59, find them!" Marco shouted orders. The big headed beast circled around nose to the ground. He was no Bloodhound but they had little doubt that he could find his owner's scent.

Ten minutes of dragging them along and the dog seemed to be onto something. Marco called Daisy's cell to update her. She and Ben headed their way, shipyards forgotten.

59 pulled Luke as if he weighed nothing and barked madly. Marco followed examining the ground that they were passing over. Clearly he could see the truck marks of a tractor trailer. Suddenly, the rush stopped at a spot on the tracks. 59 had lost the trail. Frantically he spun around like a top until he sat down and started wailing. The sound made Luke and Marco's blood curdle. Standing next to the wailing canine was a giant crane. Luke and Marco looked at each other. The container had been placed on the train car here. Luke pet 59 comfortingly and handed the distraught dog back to the cops to take to the kennel for the night. Marco called Daisy to update her.

-\\-

Daisy and Ben were pulling up in the train yard parking lot. Daisy was on her cell trying to get the control tower on the phone. She recognized the rest of their team further down the yard as the tower picked up, "Rail Yard." "This is U.S. Marshall, Daisy Ogba. I need to speak with the head of the yard immediately." There was a muffled response as the phone was handed over to another person.

"This is Buck Johnson. I am the supervisor of this Rail Yard. What can I do for you?" Daisy sighed heavily. "Can you tell me if any trains left this yard in the past 15/20 minutes, maybe half an hour?"

"Yes ma'am. I will have that information for you shortly. You can head over to the tower and I will give you all the information I can." Daisy hung up and headed in that direction with Ben, Marco and Luke hot on her heels.

A short conversation with Mr. Johnson and it was revealed that the train pulling their car was on its way to a rail yard in Laredo. Ben ran for the door with a look of determination. "Daisy, you guys are on your own. I am heading down to Victoria to cut that train off." Daisy waived as he headed out.

"You are just going to let him go?" Luke was incensed. "Luke that train may be going to Laredo through Victoria but that cargo container is not. Did you happen to notice the route that line was heading?" Marco was stern.

Luke looked back at her blankly. "It goes past County Road 57" interjected Daisy. She and Marco watched Luke realize the implications of this information. "But why did you let Ben go to Victoria? Couldn't we use him?"

Daisy shook her head and walked toward Marco's SUV. "What did I say?" Luke looked at Marco confused. They turned to follow Daisy quickly. They had to get to that airstrip as soon as possible. As they both trotted to the car, Marco glanced over to Luke, "You knew that Ben and Annie had a little. . . fling, right?"

"Ah, yes, I did" Luke looked thoroughly confused. "You also know that Jimmy and Natalie are done, right?" Marco continued.

They all climbed in the truck and headed out of the depot parking area, both HPD units on their tail. Luke had one more question, "what does Ben have to do with Jimmy and Nata….. oh" and he blushed.

-\\-

Jimmy had succeeded in getting Annie to string together an idea of what they would do when the door to the container opened. As she calmed down, he was able to see the side effects of her injuries.

With no adrenaline to keep her on guard and with Jimmy's physical proximity, Annie had slowly sunk into a ball huddled next to Jimmy's good side. There she quietly slumbered. Jimmy put his good arm around her and tucked her even closer to him. He could feel her body temperature had dropped and it was worrisome. She needed to stay physically strong or they had no hope. Jimmy figured he could muster up enough strength for one final push but he needed Annie to provide most of the fight. He would let her sleep for now.

-\\-

The comfortable rocking of the train stopped with a screech of brakes and Annie was sitting up immediately. She winced as her bruised ribs throbbed. She looked down at Jimmy who was awake and not looking very good. His pallor had grayed a bit. Annie put her hand on his forehead. It was burning up. "Jimmy" she whispered and she bent down and kissed his feverish forehead and they waiting together.

Annie squinted at Jimmy's watch. They had been sitting in that location for about a half hour when the footsteps were heard outside. The sounds were no surprise to Annie or Jimmy and per their earlier plan, a revived Annie got in her position. The door unlocked and creaked open to a bright sky, sunset still another hour and a half away. But with the door open, no one entered immediately. When he did come in, Annie charged him as was their only hope for an escape but the giant henchman was ready.

That extra pause outside had allowed his eyes to become accustomed to the light and Annie's attack was easily seen. He grabbed her and threw her to the floor. He then bent and hoisted her up by the collar of Jimmy's shirt. Annie did her best to kick and punch where she could but she could not seem to land a strong enough hit to make any difference.

Jimmy knew Annie had a mean punch but she did not stand a chance if she was kept from actually making contact. And he was not sure how much longer the henchman would allow her to fight back before he ended it. Jimmy started getting his body prepared for that final push.

He rocked himself upright ignoring the pain as he strode full strength toward the hulk holding Annie. The two men were close in size but with Jimmy's injuries, he was at a significant disadvantage.

Manuel's hired thug may have been thrown to the ground initially but with a few quick punches, he was winning the battle. Annie jumped into the fray hoping to overwhelm and for a bit her added efforts gave Jimmy a fighting chance but only for a short glimpse. Quickly Jimmy's spent body couldn't keep him going and the tides changed back in favor of the thug.

Annie saw Jimmy's weakened condition, something she had never seen before. It terrified her but served as inspiration as she ramped up her efforts. The wrestling match continued until Annie had the goon where she normally would have cuffed him. The sense of victory was short lived as Manuel himself stepped in.

"Ahh, I see we need to shake more of this fight out of you." He nodded outside the container door and three men arrived. One grabbed Annie and violently forced her hands behind her. Another had Jimmy flattened on the ground. Annie did her best to fight but the strength of two men had her easily under control. She looked desperately at Jimmy's lifeless body.

Manuel followed Annie's eyes and smiled. "Ramiro, is he still breathing?" The giant hulk grinned up at his boss and nodded, "barely, he shouldn't give us any more problems". "Good, get them out of here and into the truck. We have little time. We can have fun later." Manuel turned on his heel and jumped off the train car.

They dragged Jimmy off the car but Annie was thrashing about giving the two men holding her trouble. From her angle, she couldn't see the black GMC and HPD units approaching in the distance at full speed, but Manuel did. Their leader yelled orders and Ramiro dropped Jimmy. His dead weight would slow them down too much.

Annie was frantic. In her thrashing, she had mistaken their action believing Jimmy to be dead. Her heart was beating like a cannon in her chest. Her sense of loss tingled in every pore. Her best friend and the man she had hoped to find a future with was dead and it was her fault. She was desperate to be by Jimmy's side.

Her violent thrashing and punching was making their escape increasingly difficult and Manuel was starting to steam. "You do not want to make me angry, bitch" the brutal leader grumbled. Annie saw Manuel step in the way of her view of Jimmy. Then came his fist coming toward her face - again. She shut her eyes defenseless. There was a loud thump, a pop and a bright flash of light. Everything was spinning and swimming and then it went black.

With Annie unconscious, the goons had no problem handling her dead weight. She was tossed insignificantly into the back. The driver could barely wait for the last thug to shut their door. The dust swirled up behind the speeding SUV. They had just enough lead to stay ahead of the pursuing cops and Marshalls. It was time to get to the plane.

Marco hit the steering wheel violently. At 80 miles per hour on dirt road, they were already pushing the envelope of safety for their SUV. They had all seen in the distance the vicious treatment of Annie by Manuel and his men. Seeing her frantically thrashing and then slumping unconscious had them all in shock. The fact that Jimmy was left in a heap also terrified them. Daisy called to the HPD units on the radio, "Follow them the best you can. One of ours is in that vehicle, gentlemen. We want her back in one piece."

Daisy and Marco looked at each other. They were torn between continuing the chase but everyone knew Marshalls did not leave their own behind. Marco skidded to a stop and Luke leapt from the back seat to crouch next to Jimmy's battered body.

"Luke, talk to me NOW" Daisy was struggling to keep her fury in check. Jimmy was a great leader and fantastic friend. She needed to know if he was still alive.

Luke felt for a pulse on Jimmy's neck. He moved quickly to Jimmy's wrist and then back up to his neck again. He was so frantic he was struggling to find a pulse over his own pounding heart beat.

The anxiety was increasing tenfold with each ticking millisecond. Daisy was just about to leap from the car and check for herself when Luke looked up, "He has a pulse! It is weak but it is there!" Daisy allowed herself a brief breath of thanks before she actually did alight from the vehicle. Their decision to save Jimmy had left Annie to fend for herself. They needed to make sure this decision had a positive result. In order to do that, they needed to get Jimmy to a hospital NOW.

Marco turned the GMC onto the main road with sirens blaring. By the look of Jimmy, they had little time left. The closest hospital was Memorial. It was normally 35 minutes away. Marco got there in less than 20. They pulled up to the ER door and Daisy sprinted in to get help. Help came running out with a stretcher and a dozen nurses. They carefully unloaded Jimmy onto the stretcher and rushed him inside.

Standing next to the car, Marco looked from Daisy to Jimmy's disappearing body and back to Daisy. She nodded, "go get her back, Marco!" She turned to follow the nurses inside. She would stay with Jimmy and make sure he survived this.

Marco and Luke jumped into the SUV and spun out of the ER parking lot. Luke was already on the phone with one of the HPD officers they had left to continue the chase.

It took them 30 minutes to catch up with the HPD units. They sat a safe distance from the airstrip watching the hangers. Per Marco's orders, they had not put Annie's life in jeopardy by raiding the hanger themselves. No one knew what was inside of the buildings and it was best to keep an eye on things from afar so as not to exacerbate the situation.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! May I apologize PROFUSELY for taking so long to update. I have provided a longer chapter in the hopes you will all forgive me. My writer's block prevails. Lucky for all of you, we have not gotten to that chapter yet. But don't worry. I have been muscling through and hope to get things moving along.**

**Hope everyone is well and thank you to all the new people who have reviewed but to ChaseROCKS and Pianogirl, your reviews have brought smiles to my face and inspired me to really give this story all that I can. I think about it constantly and that has helped me wind my way out of the block I have on this story. I think - I HOPE - you all like this chapter!**

**OH - and thank you, Pianogirl (I think it was you) who reminded all of us that Kelly is on Law and Order now. It helps me to hear her voice and see her looking almost the same. I just wish Cole was on the show, too! LOL!**

-\\-

Marco and Luke jumped into the SUV and spun out of the ER parking lot. Luke was already on the phone with one of the HPD officers they had left to continue the chase.

It took them 30 minutes to catch up with the HPD units. They sat a safe distance from the airstrip watching the hangers. Per Marco's orders, they had not put Annie's life in jeopardy by raiding the hanger themselves. No one knew what was inside of the buildings and it was best to keep an eye on things from afar so as not to exacerbate the situation.

-\\-

Inside the hanger, Manuel was furious. He was starting to come down from his high and it had put him in a dangerously angry mood. They had yanked Annie out of the car and she lay on the cement floor in a heap. He knew she was conscious but it was clear that his punch to her head had injured her significantly and that was making him even madder. With no one to beat on, how was he to release his pent up fury?

He was beginning to pace maniacally when Ramiro entered dragging a skinny little man behind him. The dragged victim was shrieking and making a lame effort at fighting back. He instantly silenced at the sight of Manuel. "Sir! I got the stuff in the back." He yanked his dirty sweatshirt out of Ramiro's hands and tried to look important to the boss.

Manuel's eyes squinted to slits and he looked down at the little man and growled sarcastically. "where. IS. my. stuff…hank?" The strength left the tweaker instantly and he scurried off to the back office where Ramiro had found him. Manuel paced after him.

With the boss out of the room and quiet falling on the hanger, the thugs circled around Annie for another look. Even through the bruises, blood and dirt, it was clear she was attractive. "Jesse!" one of the goons raised his eyebrows and posed as if he were laying next to Annie on the ground, "take my picture! She is hot!" A giggling Jesse ran up with his phone out to capture the moment. "I'm next!" he responded after he presented the photo for approval.

"Hey, Jesse, Evan, cut that out. The boss is not going to be happy if you are messin' with his lady" Ramiro demanded as the voice of reason. The other two ignored him while getting Evan's picture lined up.

Annie's head felt detached and she was confused by what was happening around her. The noise and swimming feeling made her feel sick. Soon, the nausea overwhelmed her and she could not hold it back any longer. Not much came up but it was enough to have Evan and Jesse shrieking and running from her suddenly grossed out. The motion of vomiting hurt Annie's bruised ribs and she flopped back to the cement floor and curled into a tight ball.

Ramiro was getting concerned. He was pretty sure that the big Marshall they had left by the train was going to die. This little blonde Marshall didn't look like she was long for this world, either.

They were in a heap of trouble and the boss was in the back room getting high. Where was the pilot to fly the plane? Wasn't that the plan? If it wasn't, they were going to be shooting their way out of this hanger and that definitely wasn't going to be easy. But he was a hired hand and all he could do was wait for Manuel to give them further orders.

-\\-

Daisy was standing outside the trauma room door as she had been instructed. One doctor was violently yanking on Jimmy's arm to reset his collar bone while another doctor was yelling orders at nurses while she cut a hole in his side in an attempt to re-inflate his lung. Daisy watched nervously taking in the damage her leader had endured and she whispered quietly, "Come on, Jimmy. You can get through this."

After about 10 minutes the crazed scurrying slowed to a calmer monitoring and the head doctor emerged to talk to Daisy. "Are you his partner?"

"I am one of them. My name is Daisy Ogba, U.S. Marshall. That man is Jimmy Godfrey. He is also a U.S. Marshall and one of my team leaders." She put forth her strong Marshall voice. But she couldn't maintain the ruse when she asked what she needed to know. "Is he going to be ok?"

The doctor smiled briefly, "he is pretty beat up but yea. He should be fine. He is going to need surgery on his collar bone. They will put a plate there to hold it together. We are just waiting for his lungs to recover before we put him through surgery. He has 4 cracked ribs, one of which punctured his right lung. We were able to close the wound and re-inflate the lung with very little effort so he should be ok. We are going to keep him pretty sedated so he stays still and his body can recover. He'll be transferred to a room shortly and you can see him then. I'll have a nurse come get you when he is settled if you like. . . unless you need to go. . .?"

Daisy shook her head. She needed to stay to make sure Jimmy was ok. Marco and Luke had the field covered. They would get Annie, she convinced herself. "I will be in the waiting room. I just need to make some phone calls."

The doctor nodded, "May I suggest the ICU waiting room on the 4th floor. He will be transferred to a room on that floor momentarily and it has a quieter waiting area." Daisy smiled in thanks as she headed toward the elevators. She called Marco immediately.

Marco answered on the 1st ring, "I need some good news, Daisy."

"He is going to make it. They are transferring him to the ICU in a few minutes. He is going to be okay. . . Annie?" Daisy squinched her eyes closed and pinched the top of her nose remembering Annie's normally strong body hanging unnaturally in the arms of that goon.

"I don't know. They are held up inside the hanger. I don't know what they are doing in there but we have them surrounded." Marco's voice shook with anger. This waiting thing was so hard.

A nurse approached Daisy interrupting her conversation. "Oh, hey, they say I can go in and see Jimmy now. Keep me updated!" Daisy hung up with Marco and jogged to catch up with the nurse. The two women wandered down the hall and into a room.

There in front of her was Jimmy hooked up to a ventilator and various other noisy machines. Daisy turned to the nurse who read her mind. "He is only on the ventilator for a bit longer. We needed to make sure his lung was functioning properly. We will begin weening him off of that shortly so he can breathe on his own. The sedative he was given should start wearing off shortly. He will probably wake up in a lot of pain and confused where he is. We will need to keep him quiet because of his lung and his collar bone which still needs surgery."

Daisy thanked the nurse for her time and explanation. "No problem, I am at the nurses' station if you need anything or have any other questions. My name is Maggie." With that, the nurse turned and left.

Daisy slowly sat down in the chair by the ventilator machine to wait for Jimmy to wake up.

-\\-

Ben Crowley had arrived in Victoria after a long and anxious drive. His first stop was to the train yard that the supervisor of the Houston yard had said was a scheduled stop for their train. He was trying to appear calm as he pulled open the door to the yard office. An older woman greeted him but Ben was having difficulty keeping his placid exterior. "I need to speak with the yard supervisor, please? My name is Ben Crowley. I am a bounty hunter and I think an arriving train may have one of my criminals on board." The woman's eyes widened immediately and she backed toward the wall behind her. At first Ben was concerned that she was frozen in fear until the incredibly loud shout emerged, "VICTOR GET OUT HERE NOW!"

A short mustached man exited the back room instantly alert. "Can I help you?"

"Ah, yes, um, my name is Ben Crowley and I am a bounty hunter." Ben showed the man his badge. "I have just arrived from Houston where the yard supervisor there told me that the train that I am searching for had this yard listed as its destination. I believe that a criminal I am searching for is on board. Can you help me determine when it is arriving?"

"My name is Earl. I would be happy to help you, son. Please come this way." Earl led Ben to his office where they were able to look up the locomotive number, line number and all the information the supervisor in Houston had given them. Earl carefully typed the information into his computer.

"Ah, yes sir. This train is running a bit late. Apparently it made an unexpected stop just outside of Houston. Ben shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? He thanked Earl and sprinted out of the offices to his truck. Two ruts in the parking lot and a cloud of dust was the proof that he had been there at all. Ben had a long drive ahead of him and the safety of Annie was firmly in his head. He randomly wondered about her partner. He had heard earlier on the scanner that a second Marshall had been taken. But Ben was focused on Annie so he put Jimmy Godfrey out of his mind.

-\\-

The standoff at the airstrip continued. Every minute that it continued, Annie's health deteriorated. Even Ramiro who was merely a hired hand, was getting worried. She had not bounced back from the boss's blow to her head. She had vomited a couple of times and seemed listless and woozy. Her eye was, again, swollen shut and the bruising was a deep rich purple.

Manuel suddenly appeared from the back office. He was clearly buzzing on drugs as he twitched and jerked. His eyes were huge and bloodshot and he ran straight for the Lear shouting, "COME ON! We are heading out of here!" Ramiro's nightmare was becoming reality. He hated to fly as it was. Flying with a pilot amped on drugs seemed like a really bad idea. He had meant to continue with the group if only to help the female Marshall survive this ordeal. He had developed respect for her on the train and did not care for the way his boss had treated her. Ramiro had been raised by a single mother and had two sisters. He had been taught to respect women. But flying with a stoned pilot dramatically changed the circumstances.

Manuel grabbed Annie by the arm and started dragging her across the floor of the hanger toward the jet. Ramiro wasn't sure if he intended to drag her up the stairs but he didn't wait to find out as he sprinted over to 'help' his boss get her inside.

Manuel reluctantly let Ramiro take her off his hands. "Just dump her on the floor. I don't care. She was supposed to be tough. Clearly she is letting me down."

Ramiro picked her up and gently placed her in a seat in the back. He buckled her in to keep her safe and then turned to see Evan and Marco staring at him. "What the hell do you care? She is just a stupid girl." The two men unclipped Annie's buckle and shoved her onto the floor of the plane. Ramiro sighed. Dealing with those two was like banging one's head against the wall.

Ramiro silently apologized to Annie and backed out of the plane door mumbling an excuse of forgetting something. Evan and Marco were busy fighting over a seat and didn't even notice their fellow henchman leave. It would have been an easy escape if it hadn't been for Hank who almost knocked him over sprinting up the stairs. Hank's arms were full of bags of white powder and his eyes were spinning in his head.

Ramiro tried to climb around Hank when Manuel shoved them both to the side to yank up the door. Ramiro's window to escape had closed along with the door. The mechanical thunk of the door seal determining their fate. Manuel stomped up to the cockpit, shoved the headphones on his head and thrust his dark glasses on. "LET'S GO!"

Manuel pushed a button and the doors to the hanger slowly pulled open, but they stayed where they were. Their engines had started but they were not proceeding through the open door.

Outside the hanger, it was dark. The sun had set about 20 minutes before and the dusk was getting gloomy. Marco could see the doors sliding open even in the dim light. "What are you doing, Manuel?" he whispered to himself. He grabbed the radio, "Doors are opening. Keep your sites on the plane. Remember, we have to assume Annie is inside. Don't shoot unless you know it will stop the plane!"

Luke turned and looked at Marco. He mouthed, "what?" Marco just looked away. Now was not the time to question what he meant. He just wanted to stop that plane from taking Annie away from them but he didn't know how.

All eyes were on the open hanger door but nothing came out. From their angle they could not see into the hanger so they were not sure exactly what they were dealing with.

Inside, Manuel was tweaking badly. He was no longer thinking clearly as he put the plane into forward motion at full speed. The back of the hanger was obliterated by the sudden burst of wind behind the plane.

Cordova's plane didn't roll out; it leapt out of the door. No one expected it, least of all the Marshalls and Police officers. The plane zigged and teetered at full speed to the end of the runway as if a drunk driver was behind the wheel. With full fuel tanks, the plane was a rolling bomb. All the Marshalls and police could do was watch the plane take off and gain altitude.

Their worst fears had been realized. Annie was off the ground. And the pilot was clearly reckless. Marco blindly pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the chief. "She is in the air, sir. I don't know who is in the cockpit but they are out of control." There was a pause and Marco continued, "Yes sir. Yes sir. Daisy is at the hospital with Jimmy now. I will have her report to you from there. Luke and I will be in shortly. Ok." Marco hung-up and shoved the phone back in his pocket watching the plane become a distant spot. Finally he took a deep breath and both Marshalls headed back to the truck.


	13. Chapter 13

**Howdy!**

**I am going to be offline for a few days so thought I would upload before I lost access. Don't worry - I have printed out my story and plan to work on it while I am gone - the old school way of pen and paper. **

**I hope you enjoy - I HATE to beg but if you could shoot me a review and let me know, that would be fantastic!**

-\\-

Their worst fears had been realized. Annie was off the ground. And the pilot was clearly reckless. Marco blindly pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the chief. "She is in the air, sir. I don't know who is in the cockpit but they are out of control." There was a pause and Marco continued, "Yes sir. Yes sir. Daisy is at the hospital with Jimmy now. I will have her report to you from there. Luke and I will be in shortly. Ok." Marco hung-up and shoved the phone back in his pocket watching the plane become a distant spot. Finally he took a deep breath and both Marshalls headed back to the truck.

Daisy had her head bowed trying to massage the back of her neck. She was trying to remain patient. She had heard from Marco and Luke and knew that they had not succeeded in getting Annie. She had reported Jimmy's status to the chief. Now, she just had to wait until the sedative wore off and Jimmy woke up but that could be another hour away.

The nurse, Maggie, entered with a smile on her face. "We are going to remove the ventilator tube in a sec. He's doing really well." Daisy wondered if Maggie thought she was speaking to more than the patient's partner. It brought Annie back to mind. "Ugh!" Daisy covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

"He really is doing well, Daisy! You don't need to worry! He is clearly a strong and healthy guy. He is going to recover and be back to normal soon enough" the nurse had misunderstood Daisy's action.

Daisy sat up, smiled and nodded at Maggie. She appreciated the kind words and the excellent care Maggie was giving Jimmy.

A moment later, two other nurses arrived as well as the intern. Daisy backed up to the doorway to be out of their way. In short order, they had the breathing tube out of Jimmy's throat and had put an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. Everyone left the room except for Maggie who stayed to monitor his breathing.

She carefully watched the oxygen levels and pulse on the monitors over Jimmy's bed. Daisy sat back down on the chair to watch, too. When 20 minutes had gone by, Maggie turned to Daisy and smiled again. "He looks to be breathing with both lungs. I am going to continue monitoring his numbers from the nurses' station. Just buzz me if you need anything." With that, Maggie left the room.

Daisy looked at Jimmy and sighed again. She closed her eyes for a bit and rubbed her temples. It was hard not to think of Annie wondering where she was and if she was okay.

-\\-

It was just past 9:30 when Ben reached the Houston city limits. He had exceeded the speeding limit for some time and had made good time. As he approached downtown he called Daisy's cell. A whispering answer greeted his call, "hello?"

"Yea, it is Ben. Why did you let me go to Victoria? Why didn't you tell me you had an idea they would be pulled off early?" Ben was frustrated and angry. He had his suspicions that Daisy had done it all on purpose and he wanted to know why.

"Hang on…" continued the whisper. Ben waited while he heard a shuffling on the other line. Within seconds Daisy was back and was speaking in a normal tone of voice. "Ben, you ran off with your own assumptions" was all she said.

"Where is she, Daisy?" Ben's voice was stern. Daisy stared through the hospital room window at Jimmy lying in the bed sedated. "We aren't sure, Ben. They left Jimmy for dead and took Annie with them."

"You are at Memorial now?" Ben wanted to talk to Daisy face to face. There was information she was not giving over the phone and he wanted to see her to interpret her body language.

"Yea" came Daisy's response. Ben disconnected the call and hurtled his truck toward the hospital. He was ready to get some answers.

-\\-

During their drive from the airstrip hanger Marco and Luke had begun discussing options. They knew they were running out of time and being at headquarters might give Manuel too much of a head start to ever recover. They needed the chief to help them plan their next step.

"Sir, it's Marco again" and he put the call on speaker. Chief Brown's voice boomed within the quiet car, "You have something else for me, Marshalls?"

"Whoever is flying that plane is either incompetent or just really bad. The plane was out of control!" Luke contributed.

"Bouff has been working with the FAA to figure out their flight path. I will update him that the pilot is erratic, it might help them locate the plane faster. I would imagine they did not file a flight plan." The chief sounded very matter-of-fact as he listed the steps they were to follow. "Hang on" the Marshalls heard Bouff enter the chief's office. From the sound of it, Bouff and the FAA were able to determine the flight path and had located the blip on their radar.

"Chief, this guy is all over the place but we believe his goal is to land at the Laredo airport. We have alerted the tower there. They are monitoring the Twin engine's progress and will open space on one of their runways when necessary." Bouff confirmed.

"Gentlemen, new plan. You are now headed to the airstrip. The federal Lear will be waiting for you. " The chief alerted Marco and Luke who were still on the line. "I will call ahead to have it ready. I want you in the air in 40 minutes heading for Laredo at full air speed. As soon as they drop you off, they can head back up to Houston and pick me up. Call me when you are in the air" and he disconnected the call.

He was flying by the seat of his pants just like they were. It didn't instill confidence but it certainly did encourage motivation. Chief shook his head looking at his desk. He mumbled, "This is not going smoothly. Bouff, I need your help. Can you call the Laredo PD and update them? I need an SUV waiting at the airstrip for Luke and Marco when they land." and he sat back rubbing his head and picked up his phone to call and request the plane. Bouff was already sprinting for his office to make the necessary calls.

-\\-

"I'm looking for Jimmy Godfrey's room." Ben was trying to remain calm with the volunteer working the front desk. She typed in her computer but responded, "Sir, are you family?" He shook his head and she looked apologetically back at him shrugging. Ben walked a distance away and called Daisy hoping she had not turned her phone off.

"yea" came the whispered answer again. "It's Ben. I am downstairs but they won't let me up. I need to talk to you… now." Ben was keeping that outward sense of calm but his inside was spinning.

"I'll be down in a…." Daisy was interrupted by Jimmy stirring. He was waking up. Daisy rang the nurses' call button and then reached for Jimmy's hand. "Ben, you are going to have to wait a few minutes unless you can manage to get up here. Jimmy is in room 467" and Daisy flipped the phone closed.

Jimmy was starting to thrash a bit. He jerked his hand out of Daisy's and pushed the oxygen mask away from his face. Maggie entered the room and came up to his bedside. "Jimmy, you need to calm down. My name is Maggie an…" She was interrupted by Jimmy's throaty course voice, "Annie! Where is Annie? I need to get her."

Jimmy blinked struggling to focus. He saw Maggie and then found Daisy. His eyes stayed on Daisy. His throat was desperately sore and he was struggling to breath. Maggie reached down and replaced the oxygen mask but he swatted it away again. "Jimmy, we are trying to get Annie back. There is nothing you can do right now except get better. We will get her back..." Daisy's voice trailed off. She didn't want to give him too much information.

"I'm going to get a pain killer for you" and Maggie left the room. The door didn't close entirely when it reopened and Ben Crowley walked in. Jimmy saw him immediately and pushed the mask off again as he panted, "What is he doing here?" Daisy greeted Ben with a nod and turned to look at the Marshall in the bed matter-of-factly. "He is helping us find Annie." Before she could say more, her phone rang and Daisy looked at the two men as if to say, "play nice" and she backed out of the room to answer her phone.

Jimmy held the mask over his mouth and nose, closed his eyes and tried to breathe as deeply as he could of the oxygen-rich air. Then he pulled the mask off again and looked right at Ben. "Ben, you have to find her. I can't be out there. Manuel is sampling his goods. He is erratic and unpredictable." The long sentences were taking their toll on him. He closed his eyes again and replaced the mask to breathe. He was feeling a bit light headed and needed to do what he could to focus.

Ben waited patiently for Jimmy to reopen his eyes. When he did, Ben looked directly at him. He could see the competitor deep inside and he knew it must have taken a lot for Jimmy to ask for his help. Ben sighed and looked at the floor. The battle for Annie's heart was clearly going to have to wait. They all needed to work together to get her back alive first. He nodded at Jimmy who nodded in return.

Jimmy was exhausted and relieved but the pain coursing through his body was starting to make him sweat. Maggie entered and shot a needle full of painkiller into his IV. As the medicine took effect, Jimmy started to doze off.

Daisy bumped into Ben as he left the room. They needed to let Jimmy rest.

"Ben, if you help us, we would appreciate it but whatever personal agenda you have, I ask that you wait until everyone involved is healed." Daisy stood in the closed doorway with her arms crossed. Ben grinned. He knew what she meant and he headed toward the elevator. Before he got on Daisy called over, "They have located a plane entering the Laredo Texas airspace. They think it is Manuel's plane. Listen to your scanner." The elevator doors closed on the end of Daisy's sentence. Ben knew where he was heading next. He hoped there was a flight out of Houston airport to Laredo leaving in the next 20 minutes.

-\\-

Annie awoke from her stupor on the third painful toss to the floor. She had no real idea of how long they had been in the air but it seemed too long. Perhaps it was because they were flying the plane through a major storm.

She was nauseous but from the greenish look on the other passenger's faces, it could be from the flight instead of her head. Another toss to the left, Annie bit her lip to keep from whimpering but it didn't work. Evan heard her. He tried to say something when the plane suddenly lurched to the right. Jesse noticed Evan's attention and looked over to see Annie awake. They both wanted to get to her but the plane's unsteadiness prevented them from getting out of their chairs. Every rock and roll rocketed pain through her body.

Suddenly the plane jerked to a dive position. Annie rolled down the aisle almost to the cockpit door. She could hear Evan and Jesse screaming. She could hear something else, too. When she peered into the cockpit, she found the source. Manuel was at the wheel.

-\\-

Daisy watched the elevator doors close on Ben and she put her phone to her ear. She needed to request an airlift trip to Laredo. She had to help her team. She was shocked to hear that confirmation came so quickly. A helicopter could pick her up from the roof of the hospital at 10:00pm. She looked at her watch. That was almost 15 minutes away!

Meanwhile in his hospital room, Jimmy quietly lay back in the bed feeling the pain medication wash over him. He hated feeling numb but it was a lot better than the severe pain he had been in on the train. Remembering the train immediately led him to think of one person, Annie. Jimmy closed his eyes quietly praying for her safety when the door to his room opened. Assuming it was Daisy, he kept his eyes closed.

But when he felt the presence hover over him awkwardly, he knew it was not Daisy. Jimmy slowly opened his eyes. In front of him stood Natalie, her face creased with worry. "Hey" he whispered and tried to smile through the oxygen mask. The pain meds made him feel drunk.

"Jimmy" she whispered back, "you look awful." Natalie tried to smile. "Maggie asked me to check up on you. Your blood oxygen levels look good but you need to keep that mask on your mouth and nose. Let me look at your collar bone." Natalie winced a bit as she pushed back the wrapping. The bruising was deep purple and it was clear it needed that plate soon or it might start mending wrong. Jimmy just watched her dazed.

"Um" and she cleared her throat and straightened the wrappings on his shoulder. "Jimmy, I heard a rumor that you are staying at Annie's…?" she paused questioning. "Maybe now is not a good time to talk." Natalie looked across the bed at a quickly sobering Jimmy.

He disregarded her previous instruction, pushed off the oxygen mask and looked her right in the eye. "Natalie, I thought we already discussed this" he said trying to prop himself up in the bed. But Natalie gently pushed him back down onto the pillow shaking her head. As she began to replace the mask, Jimmy waved her off and continued though his voice was getting steadily hoarser. "You are incredible, really. I just couldn't…" Natalie put her finger on his lips to quiet him.

"Jimmy, I am ok with it. I loved you, I really did. I probably still do. And I think you loved me in your own way." She sighed heavily and returned the mask to his face. "I should have seen you and Annie getting together from a million miles away but I can be naive and stupid." She paused briefly, "Anyway, I am glad you are OK." Natalie backed out the door leaving Jimmy with his eyes closed again.

He felt badly that he had broken her heart but she would eventually get past it. She really was an amazing person and he firmly hoped she would find someone who would make her happy. He had been lying to himself when he denied his interest in Annie. It wasn't until he and Natalie got engaged that he realized how important Annie had been for all those years. They had been through a lot together.

His mind returned to the last time he saw Annie on the train wearing his shirt and being beaten by Manuel Cordova. The anger got his heart racing. The faster it went the harder it became to breathe. Alarms started going off in the room. Nurses ran into the room quickly pushing buttons, poking and prodding him. Jimmy panted feeling light headed.

Maggie exited and headed quickly to catch Daisy before she headed to the roof to meet the helicopter. She had a feeling Daisy could help this situation a lot quicker than pumping their patient with unnecessary drugs. Daisy was staring at the wall clock pacing the waiting room floor but looked over when the nurse entered.

"Daisy, Jimmy is close to coding." Maggie was successfully maintaining her calm exterior. She had grown fond of these Marshalls and had gathered via bits and pieces of conversation that Jimmy's partner was still lost in the field. "Do you have any news about Jimmy's partner that you could tell him? It might calm him down and prevent a respiratory or cardiac arrest."

Daisy pushed past Maggie running for Jimmy's room. She stopped when she heard the alarms going off and saw the commotion in the room. Maggie put her hand on Daisy's shoulder. "It's okay. Let's go in" and she led Daisy into the room.

Both the nurse and the female Marshall dodged through the chaos toward the head of the bed where Daisy leaned forward and said in a low voice, "They located the plane. Ground crews in Laredo are prepared to overtake Manuel and have Annie safe as soon as they land. She is going to be fine, Jimmy." It was a significant fib but Daisy hoped by saying it out loud, it would become true. Last she had heard the plane was flying erratically with no word on whether Annie was even conscious. She was definitely NOT telling Jimmy that.

As predicted, word of Annie's safety had calmed her partner. His heart beat slowed back to normal and his breathing evened out. Within a few minutes, everything was back to normal and he opened his eyes.

Daisy smiled at him, "Hey cowboy." Jimmy's eyes focused on her and she knew he wanted to know more about Annie. "I don't know any more than that. I am heading to Laredo in a few minutes by helicopter, okay?" She started to exit the room when she looked back at Jimmy, "no more alarms! If you want more information, you need to get stable here, got it?" Jimmy rolled his eyes in response. She grinned, re-entered the room and pointedly placed Jimmy's cell phone on his bedside table so he could reach it. "I'll call when I can" and she headed back out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Updating! Hope you all enjoy. I really really appreciate all of your wonderful reviews. I didn't get a chance to really edit this one cuz I wanted to get it up and published. I apologize for all grammatical and spelling errors.**

**Disclosure: I don't own any of the characters or the show, The Chase.**

Daisy smiled at him, "Hey cowboy." Jimmy's eyes focused on her and she knew he wanted to know more about Annie. "I don't know any more than that. I am heading to Laredo in a few minutes by helicopter, okay?" She started to exit the room when she looked back at Jimmy, "no more alarms! If you want more information, you need to get stable here, got it?" Jimmy rolled his eyes in response. She grinned, re-entered the room and pointedly placed Jimmy's cell phone on his bedside table so he could reach it. "I'll call when I can" and she headed back out.

Back on the plane, Manuel was high out of his mind. He was screeching like an insane parrot and driving the plane as if he was riding a bull in the rodeo. He had no idea that Annie was less than 7 feet behind him. She reached up and gingerly grabbed a bottle of booze from the bar above her head. Once it was securely in her hand, Annie crawled forward and rose silently behind Manuel bringing the bottle crashing down on the back of his head with all of her might. In shock he turned his face in a grimace of pure loathing. He tried to rise when his eyes rolled back and he slumped into the pilot's seat unconscious.

Annie stood frozen for only a second as the plane made another nose dive throwing her onto the controls. Annie righted herself as quickly as she could and strapped into the co-pilot's seat. She yanked the headphones onto her ears and pulled back on the yoke to level out the plane. She yelled into the microphone, "Hello! This is US Marshall Annie Frost!" Annie scrambled to look for any manual to help identify the plane she was at the wheel of. She found it and continued, "I am flying in a Cesna twin engine with GPS coordinates N27 30.39948 W99 30.46014. I don't know where I am and I do not know how to fly a plane! Is anyone out there? Can anyone read me?" She took a deep breath and finally took a look out the windshield ahead of her expecting to see a horrific storm. What she witnessed was the exact opposite, a myriad of stars, the crescent moon and a lovely night ahead of her. Her mouth almost fell open. Perhaps she did not have to yell so frantically into the headset after all.

"Cesna N-one-niner –niner –seven-eight-three, we have you on our radar. You are directly over Laredo, Texas with a southern trajectory. Are you in control of your plane?" the voice from the Laredo tower was comforting.

Annie turned to look through the doorway to the seating area where the henchmen had been petrified. Annie was surprised again to see Ramiro had tied up the other two thugs and was giving her a smile and the thumbs-up sign. She turned forward to answer, "Yes tower, I have control of the plane."

"Annie Frost, there are going to be some very happy people in Houston when they hear this news. Please stand by. I have an instructor who will be able to talk you down."

-\\-

Bouff ran into the chief's office with a big smile on his face. He didn't even bother to knock, "I don't know how it happened but Annie has control of the plane. Laredo airport tower is helping her land right now."

A quick call to Marco and Luke who were about 10 minutes outside of Laredo airspace brought even more relief. Marco smiled and shook his head. Luke just sat with his mouth agape. He only closed it when he turned to comment to Marco, "How the heck did she pull that off?" Marco chuckled, "That's Annie."

-\\-

As promised, the flight instructor picked up where the air traffic controller left off. In less than 45 minutes, the Cesna touched down awkwardly to a runway full of Fire trucks, ambulances and police cars. Thanks to the FAA involvement, the two Marshall's jet had landed 15 minutes before.

Once the plane was on the ground, Annie brought the plane to a standstill and thought she was finally safe when the cockpit door behind her slammed shut. Manuel was awake and he was NOT happy. He reached to grab her around the neck. Annie struggled to release her seat harness to defend herself but Manuel had her around the neck before she knew it. Annie grabbed the instruction book she had been referencing to land the plane and smashed it over his head. It gave her a spare two seconds to get out of the harness and turn in her seat.

Manuel was still amped from his previous high and he was livid. It was not a good circumstance. Annie got in position to defend herself when Manuel pulled a gun. He had looked out the window and could see the approaching trucks. Escape was the only answer but he needed to take Annie with him to be successful. Annie froze for a second until her foot slipped off the edge of the seat she was standing on. The sudden movement startled Manuel and his trigger finger squeezed. There was a loud blast and Annie's leg gave out from under her. He had shot her!

Still beyond control, Manuel grabbed around her painfully bruised ribcage and whipped open the cockpit door. Ramiro, in his eagerness to get out, already had the plane door open. Manuel shoved the big man aside as if he was light as a feather and lugged Annie's kicking punching body out of the door.

"GET ON THE GROUND! DROP HER AND LAY DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" one of the police cars was shouting instructions. Manuel twisted putting Annie in front of him as a shield. Annie thrashed around the best that she could. Her leg was going numb and her ribs hurt so badly, tears were welling up in her one good eye. The other eye was too swollen. He squeezed her tighter and Annie stilled. She couldn't get a fresh breath in and was starting to see spots.

Manuel used the opportunity to shoot back at the officers as he ran backward toward the Golf Course. He just needed to lay low in the dark golf course nearby. He needed a pick-me-up and patted his pocket to make sure the baggie was still safely in place. Once he was feeling better, he could steal a car and drive the short distance toward the border. It would be easier in the dark.

-\\-

As soon as Daisy left the room she called Marco. His phone rang and rang and rang…and rang… and rang. This was so unlike him! Daisy rubbed her forehead.

"Marco!" He was out of breath clearly running full speed. Daisy was concerned about the timing of her call, "what are you doing?"

"What? Hang on…." Marco sounded distracted as he fumbled with the phone. "Yea?" it was Luke.

"Luke, what is going on?"

"Um. Hang on, Daisy. Watch out, Marco. He went that way. No, that way. Can you see him?" Daisy was getting impatient with Luke's ramblings, "LUKE!"

"Oh sorry Daisy" Luke whispered distracted. " Manuel still has Annie. He used her as a shield until he was able to drag her onto the dark Golf Course. We are out here in the dark trying to find him." She could hear Marco yelling about getting the fire engines off the tarmac to help light up the dark. "Hey Marco – ugh!" Luke sounded like he lost his breathe. "Luke, are you ok?" Daisy was getting really irritated by the rookie's lack of conversation.

"Ah yea, sand trap. We are trying to find him." Luke started rambling again.

"Luke, what about Annie? How is Annie?" Daisy needed an update as she headed up to the roof for her pickup. There was no reason to wait below deck if the helicopter was able to arrive early.

"Well, she is pretty banged up. . ." Luke began.

"Luke, you need to tell me everything right now. I am not there, you are my eyes. What is going on! How is Annie!" Daisy had lost her patience.

"Daisy, Manuel shot her in the leg. Her face is really messed up so we think she has a head injury and I am sure she has at least a couple of cracked ribs. She appeared to have lost consciousness in Manuel's arms as he ran into the darkness."

Luke paused and quietly finished, "we don't know how she is." Daisy responded with a deep sigh. This was not what she wanted to hear.

Suddenly she heard Luke's voice over the phone, "WOAH! Who is there? US Marshalls, freeze!" and then Marco, "Ben Crowley, what the he. . .? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Luke! Luke! Tell Marco he is there by Jimmy's request. Jimmy asked him to help." Daisy almost lost her composure. It was important to her that the team recognize Jimmy's request but she was pulled from her thoughts by Marco who had clearly taken the phone from Luke's hand.

"Daisy, what are you talking about? Hang on, hold that thought. Get down, Luke!" Daisy heard some distant gunfire through the phone and Marco continued. "Man this guy is a maniac!" he paused before asking again, "Daisy, what is Ben doing here?"

"Just let him help. Jimmy asked him to do this." Daisy was finished explaining. "Look, I am getting there as soon as I can. The helicopter just landed so I gotta go. I will be there in 2 hours." Daisy hung up still full of questions and she ran to the waiting chopper.

"You guys are early!" Daisy barked as she climbed in the back door. "Welcome aboard, Marshall." Daisy looked up to see Chief Edward Brown sitting in the front seat next to the pilot. Now she knew why they were ahead of schedule. When Marco and Luke took the Lear, there wasn't time to get back and pick them up. The Jet Ranger was the only choice even if it did take an extra hour to get there.

-\\-

Ben had lucked out and caught the last flight to Laredo for the day. He had been able to reserve a pickup truck during the flight. The process had flowed almost too perfectly. He was able to access the local scanner feed via his phone. Once he had the truck, he raced to the Casa Blanca Country Club parking lot. He could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles collected at the end of runway number 2, a Twin engine Cesna parked awkwardly close-by.

It would have been pure luck that Ben had stumbled in the dark upon Marco and Luke (and not Manuel and Annie). He was glad Luke hadn't lost his composure and shot him. He heard Marco confirming Jimmy's wishes with Daisy and it irked him that they thought he needed this permission to be in pursuit.

-\\-

It had been under two hours but Jimmy's pain meds were already starting to wear off. He was becoming keenly aware of the fact that he had been in this hospital room alone for a while. Daisy had told him that Annie was safe but she had left a while ago. Jimmy was trying not to get antsy but it was not in his nature to sit idly by while the rest of the team saw all the action.

He considered walking out of the hospital but he was still having issues with his breathing. And the pain in his shoulder was excruciating. He had no way of reaching the team to find out what was going on until he remembered his phone. Daisy had left it for him on purpose.

He winced as he tried to lean over and grab it. Figures she would put it on the side with his bad shoulder. He couldn't lean over. He couldn't roll over. He couldn't even reach over. A brief pant of frustration and he did the only thing he could do. He pushed the nurses' call button.

Maggie entered the room smiling. "What can I do for you?" Jimmy smiled back through the oxygen mask and glanced over toward the bedside table and the phone that sat on it.

"I know I am not supposed to…" Jimmy frustratedly swiped the mask off his face and started again, "I know I am not supposed to talk on the phone but I need to find out…"

"What happened?" Maggie finished his sentence. She knew Daisy had told him that Annie was safe. "Look, Jimmy, you are not supposed to do this. You need to keep that mask on so your blood oxygen level stays normal. But I know this is important to you so I will help you out. Just promise me that as soon as the call is over, you put that mask back on and you rest." She felt comfortable in this deal knowing that if they called Daisy, she could put Annie on the phone and Jimmy could rest easy.

Jimmy rolled his eyes and tried to look aggravated.

Maggie grabbed the phone and handed it to his good hand so he could dial. She picked up in 3 rings, "Jimmy! Hey, can I call you right back?" He could hear the helicopter and scanner feed in the background and his face steeled. They were still looking for Annie. Maggie instantly saw a difference in his face and she reached for the phone. But it was too late. Jimmy had heard something that had him on alert and he risked reinjuring himself by violently twisting away to keep the phone to his ear. When Maggie saw this she instantly froze, hands in the air. She could not fight him for the phone and let him re-puncture his lung.

"Daisy, I thought you said Annie was safe" he grunted hoarsely. "You said the ground crews had control and as soon as they landed she would be safe." He was starting to pant in distress. "Daisy, what is going on!"


	15. Chapter 15

I am SOOOO sorry! I have not abandoned this story at ALL! I told you all I was suffering from a bit of writer's block and I just finally figured out what to do. I couldn't publish until I worked it all out as I found I was having to go back into chapters I had already written to add more to the story.

In any case - thank you SOOO much for the fantastic reviews! Now that I have pushed through, I should be able to upload faster. OH - and on my side... the story is almost over. Which is sad but HAPPY bc I am getting pumped to write a sequel. What do you think? Should I? My thoughts are that it won't be as much excitement as it will be a lot of fluff.

Enjoy!

-\\-

"Daisy, I thought you said Annie was safe" he grunted hoarsely. "You said the ground crews had control and as soon as they landed she would be safe." He was starting to pant in distress. "Daisy, what is going on!"

"Jimmy, I thought she was. She actually gained control of the plane but when they landed Manuel overwhelmed her. He was able to use her as a shield. He has escaped to a Golf Course just off the run-way. Everyone is trying to find them. We are in a chopper trying to get there as fast as we can. He still has Annie hostage." Daisy had remained calm in her recitation. At the end, her voice went quiet.

"How long have they been there?" Jimmy needed information.

"I think they have been on the Golf Course for about a half hour now and we are another 30 minutes away." Daisy answered.

"Daisy, keep me updated" he almost whispered into the phone and hung up. Maggie interrupted his thoughts by forcing the oxygen mask back onto his face. Jimmy let her.

"Crap" Daisy shouted as she pulled the phone from her ear.

"What? How?" Chief Brown was beyond confused at how Jimmy Godfrey was able to make a call in the state he was in.

Daisy yelled over the helicopter noise. "He hung up on me. I lied to him. I told him Annie was ok." Daisy was clearly distressed. The chief looked over at her for a second and she misunderstood his reaction. "What?" She defended. "He was in respiratory distress at the time!"

Their helicopter raced toward the Casa Blanca Country club as fast as it could go.

-\\-

Maggie walked out of Jimmy's room concerned. He appeared to have settled down after the call too easily. It seemed unlikely that he would suddenly be fine with laying here in the hospital bed while his team was fighting a losing battle. But she had to let it go. She had other patients to attend to. She would wander back in a bit to check up on him.

Once it became clear that he was going to be left alone for a bit, he managed to get out of bed careful not to dislodge any of the wires attached to his body. The pain was excruciating and he held his injured arm close to his body. He needed to make sure he could do it. The success had him racing at the speed of a wounded turtle over to his bed side table. Jimmy picked up his phone with his good hand and dialed…

"Bouff" came the friendly voice on the other line.

"Bouff, it's Jimmy. I need a favor" Jimmy struggled to sound strong but his throat was still dry from the tube that had recently been yanked out and he seemed to always have that breathy gasp like a fish out of water. There was silence on the other line as the tech remained speechless.

"Bouff, don't make me yell. I need you to help me right now, can you do that?" Jimmy struggled to keep his breathing under control and prevent the alarms from going off and alerting the nurses.

"Ah yea, what do you need?" came the nervous answer. Should he help the injured Marshall? It seemed to be a really bad idea given the Marshal's condition he saw on the car crash video.

"I need you to call the airstrip. I need a plane to fly me to Laredo. I can get there in 30 minutes. Can you have it waiting for me?" Again silence greeted Jimmy's question. "Bouff!" Jimmy hoarsely wheezed.

"Yes, yes …. Jimmy, they are already there ready to go. The chief was supposed to fly up but he couldn't wait so he and Daisy took the Jet Ranger." He paused, "Do you want me to tell the team you are coming?"

The response was haunting. "No" and Jimmy hung up.

Jimmy found the ragged, filthy clothes he had arrived in. Somehow he was going to have to get dressed without setting off any alarms. He had wires hooked to his chest and on his pointer finger. Jimmy squinted at the monitor's buttons to see if anything gave a hint of how to turn it off.

Finally, his finger hovered over one button in particular. If he pushed it and it set off the alarms, he would be found out. There would be no way he could get back into the bed in time. If it turned off the system, he could have a few moments to get away before anyone noticed at this hour. Jimmy rubbed his head to clear it.

This plan was hare-brained but it had to work. He needed to be as ready as possible to go the second he took the chance with this button. He needed to be dressed. Jimmy gingerly leaned against the bed and began attempting to put his pants on. It was hard and painful but he had Annie on his mind to help him focus. He needed to put pain aside and get to her. Slowly and methodically he was able to button the fly, slip on his shoes and shove his badge and wallet into his pocket. He gave up on the T-shirt. There was no way he would be able to get it over his bad shoulder.

With his jeans on, the open back of the hospital gown made no difference. Jimmy shallowly sighed to prepared himself and advanced with his pointer finger toward the button on the machine in front of him. "Ok" he started to give himself a pep talk and then just did it.

The button was right, the monitor was silenced. He yanked the wires off his chest and finger as fast as he could without causing more pain to his shoulder and he shuffled out his hospital door. He entered the elevator glad to have a chance to stop moving so he could catch his breath. When the elevator doors opened on the main floor, he could see out the entrance. This must be his lucky day. A cab was dropping someone off. If he shuffled faster, he might be able to catch it to the airstrip.

Jimmy forced himself to take full steps and thanked the powers that be for automatic doors. He could breathe when he was safely inside the cab. He made it just in time giving the driver the address to the hanger; he cautiously leaned back against the seat hoping he wouldn't pass out from the pain.

He woke to the cabbie yelling at him. Jimmy fastidiously exited and paid for the ride.

He walked slowly toward the waiting plane having to pause now and then to catch his breath. He laboriously climbed the stairs where the waiting crew helped him to his seat, shut the door and headed toward the end of the runway.

"The flight should take less than an hour, sir" the pilot called from the cockpit. Jimmy leaned back concentrating on ignoring the nauseating pain and trying to keep his breathing steady. Per his calculations, Annie had been lost with Manuel in the dark for an hour if that is where they still were. Jimmy wanted to call and get an update but that risked revealing his location and he knew he had to save getting caught for a bit later. If necessary he would call Ben but he was unsure if Ben had caught up with the group.

-\\-

The gunshots seemed to have stopped for a bit. Marco, Luke and Ben had begun searching across the golf course attempting to flush Manuel out. It had been just under an hour that they had been in the darkness hoping to catch a break.

Suddenly they heard the approach of a helicopter. It circled above their location and the night light sprung to life. It was as if the sun had turned back on. It randomly swept the ground around them until it stopped. The jet ranger began circling with the center focused on one spot. "Manuel, let her go and give yourself up" came Daisy's familiar voice over the loud speaker.

The response was dangerous. Manuel had pointed his gun at the chopper and began shooting. For fear of getting hit, the pilot had to distance them from the danger and the focus of the light dimmed. Manuel took advantage of this break and began sprinting toward the road behind him. The chasing Marshalls had paused for long enough that he had a head start.

The one unfortunate driver who had meandered down that lonely road found himself face to face with a high, gun-wielding maniac carrying a half-conscious, blood-covered blonde woman dressed in a giant men's shirt. While he loved his fancy sports car, he knew he was out of his league against the sight that had appeared in his headlights. The driver did as he was told and surrendered the vehicle to the terrifying man waiving a gun in his face.

Manuel was mobile and he still had Annie.

Daisy was on the walkie talkie barking location and directional information as well as the details of the vehicle Manuel now drove. Marco and Luke were sprinting back to the parking lot toward their truck, Ben on their heels with the same intention.

By the time they were in their SUVs, the helicopter following above the car seemed unreachable. Marco slammed his foot to the floor and fought the unfamiliar truck to attempt to catch up. Ben had made the choice to turn down the first side street and Marco caught a glimpse of him turning in his rear-view window. He had chosen to get out to the main street in the hopes that the bigger road would afford a faster approach onto the road Manuel was speeding down.

-\\-

Jimmy had been concentrating on staying conscious as the plane took off. Flying with an injured lung had its consequences that he had not really been prepared for. He hoped when they landed he was better able to keep himself functioning. He wished he knew what was going on while he was in the air.

Bouff back at headquarters just sat at his desk listening to everything unfold over the radio. He wondered constantly if he should call Daisy or the chief to update them on Jimmy's arrival. Jimmy's response had been so curt and final, it was the only reason he questioned. Then he thought about Annie. She had the whole team there for her. She had been separated from them for almost 22 and a half hours. Bouff rested his head in his hands at the thought. They needed to get to her and he wished he was there to help.

-\\-

The speed was unbelievable and adrenaline that was coursing through their bodies. Marco had taken the turn onto the highway on two wheels. He could still see the helicopter in the distance and had set that as his goal.

"I wonder where Ben is…" Luke stated as he grabbed onto the overhead handle. All Marco could do was shake his head. Before them was the entrance to Bob Bullock Loop. They rushed up the ramp swerving around slower cars they happened upon.

Once on the correct street, it seemed like they were gaining significantly on the chase ahead and they kept updating Daisy of that. A familiar truck loomed ahead of them. It was going almost the same insane speed they were travelling.

"There's Ben" Luke answered his previous question. "We gotta get them, Marco. Can you go faster? We have to catch him!" Luke was getting more and more anxious. It was nearing midnight and there was more traffic than they expected but it didn't seem to be slowing them down. He hoped it was slowing down Manuel Cordova.

Ben was coursing down Bob Bullock Loop. He was already thinking ahead to a plan if they were able to catch up with the running Beemer. Between his truck and the Marshalls in their SUV, they had mass if not speed. They somehow needed to stop Manuel's progress but how could they do that without putting Annie at a significant risk. An accident could kill her. Ben's phone rang and he clicked the button to answer, "Yeah, Ben!"

"Ben, it is Luke. We gotta run him off the Zapata Highway! He is heading that way. If we can run him into the brush we can slow him down a bit and hopefully stop him without hurting anyone. We need to work together."

"Luke, we gotta catch him first. Do you think you can get the Laredo PD to try to slow him down in some way?" Ben was trying to be realistic. No plan was going to work until they could catch up and they were running out of US real estate.

Luke informed him that the call had been made. They were running a break complete with spike strips ahead. They expected to slow Manuel and encourage him to turn according to the plan. If there were successful in actually stopping him, it would be an added bonus.

Ben said he understood and hung up.

Before Ben could put his phone down, it rang again. It was Jimmy Godfrey. Ben wondered how he was able to call from his hospital bed.

"Ah, Jimmy! I am in a bit of a situation here due to your previous request." Ben had to almost shout over the revved engine as he continued to whiz down the road. They seemed to be getting closer to Manuel's stolen car.

"Ben, I am about to land at the Laredo airport. The team doesn't know I am here. I need you to come and get me." Jimmy closed his eyes. It was hard for him to ask for help from Ben, again, especially when it involved Annie.

"Aren't you supposed to be recovering in a silly hospital bed? Need the nice Bounty Hunter to come get you?" Ben knew that by saying yes he was allowing Jimmy to take Annie out of his hands. He was not sure this was okay with him. "I don't think that is a good idea."

"Fine, I'll just get my own ride and catch up with you." Jimmy hung up. He knew exactly what was going on and he had no interest in being thwarted. He was going to have to call Laredo PD to pick him up and possibly risk giving away that he'd arrived when he was supposed to be laying in a hospital bed over 300 miles away. Jimmy braced himself to make another call.

Ben threw his phone onto the passenger seat in frustration. This was going to be a war coming from more than one direction. It was getting decidedly more complicated. He needed to get Annie before Jimmy could save the day. Ben pressed his foot to the floor and attempted to gun past the Marshalls' GMC. His actions, however, did not sit well with Marco and Luke initially. Marco loudly mumbled he did not want to get beat to the scene by a Bounty Hunter. But it got Luke to thinking.

-\\-

Back at the airport, Jimmy gingerly exited the plane. The Police unit was waiting for him on the tarmac, perhaps a leftover from the original attempt to stop the landing Cessna. He wanted to run to the vehicle but his screaming body stopped him. Instead he almost rambled in the direction of the car. Once inside, his demeanor became a shocking antithesis to his slow gait. His focus was simply blocking out his body's injuries once he was seated. He didn't have to rely on his damaged shell. Sitting in the cop car, he could use his uninjured brain and sense of will. It woke the cop at the wheel and they peeled out off the runway toward the road. Jimmy was way behind but he could catch up with sirens to help him.

Within minutes they were pummeling head-long down the highway toward the action. The scanner revealing the plan to head down Zapata Highway and the Laredo cop knew he would be faced with the Marshal's wrath if he didn't find the fastest way to catch up.

The Zapata Highway plan was Luke's genius idea. It entailed Marco, Luke and two recently welcomed Laredo police units distracting Manuel to allow Ben the time to get further ahead down Zapata Highway. Marco and Luke would then run the antsy fugitive right into Ben's path in the hopes that he would swerve off the road into their trap. Luke told Ben he had requested additional back-up to meet him ahead. Ben floored it through the almost deserted strip-mall parking lot, across the intersection and back onto the Zapata Highway while Manuel became slowed by the Marshals and LPD

-\\-

The BMW came up on the traffic break and slowed. Manuel noticed the line of cops and the spike strip. His addled brain was only reacting instead of plotting an escape. Marco took his chances and gunned the GMC to come up next to the slower BMW. He succeeded in pulling alongside and from the higher vantage point he could see Annie inside. She was conscious but clearly in significant pain. She dazedly looked up at Marco and blinked. His heart fell. That was not a normal reaction from Annie. He knew she was in really bad shape. This plan had to work.

Marco snapped out of his thoughts when Manuel swerved into him. He braced himself and yelled to Luke to do the same. Their bigger vehicle was put to good use in this circumstance as he held his position and the helplessly lighter Beemer bounced off almost losing control.

"Marco, Ben got by, he is way down the road. This is going to work!" Luke called, hand firmly braced by the handle over the car door. "Let's just hope he does what we want him to. He is so messed up, he isn't thinking straight." Marco spoke with concern.

The high speed chase continued swerving down the road toward the Zapata Highway.

-\\-

Annie had seen a familiar face in the vehicle next to her. She hurt too badly and felt too light-headed to react like she wanted. Her leg was still bleeding badly and her head thumped miserably. She could barely concentrate. Manuel was shrieking away and driving so erratically it jerked Annie all over the front seat.

In her stupor she saw the seatbelt. As her brain thought she should put on her seatbelt, she saw her arms grab the belt, cross it over her body and click it home. Suddenly the car lurched to the left but the restraint held her firmly in place. Annie was feeling increasingly sick with the motion of the car and the speed things were coming into vision.

She tried to focus on something in the distance to help get her bearings. The biggest thing she could focus on was a sign indicating that they were now on the Jaime Zapata Memorial Highway.

-\\-

Marco breathed a sigh of relief although brief. They had made it through the busy intersection without any hassles and were now firmly on their way toward the trap. Luke picked up the phone and called Ben, "we are heading your way. Are you set?"

"As set as we'll ever be." Ben called back into the phone. Due to the hour, limited traffic was on the road and he and the two additional Laredo PD cars had been able to park across the six lanes with no trouble at all. The only open choice was a turn-off driveway toward some white warehouses. The officers had told Ben that it was a dead end street. He could only hope that Manuel's drug addled brain allowed him to just turn into the drive. In the distance he could see the flashing lights coming their way. He firmly hoped they weren't approaching too quickly to make the turn.

As soon as Marco saw the flashing lights in the distance and the darkness on either side of the road approaching, he slowed down. The hope was that by backing off, Manuel would feel less inclined to maintain his recklessly high speed. Seeing the BMW whizzing out of his range taking Annie further out of their reach scared both Marshalls.

Here they come, thought Ben quietly. Manuel turned as they had hoped. He did not, however, let the dead end road stop him. With no care to the state of the expensive vehicle he was driving, he jumped the curb and raced headlong across unpaved terrain for the riverside. Marco and Daisy cursed as they followed.

-\\-

Ben raced to get into his vehicle to pursue when he saw the errant BMW wheeling without a hint of slowing down. He instantly turned down the side street joining the pursuit.

Just like the rest of the followers, he skidded to a halt on the edge of the river. They had all lost the gray sports car in the darkness. Manuel, having turned off his headlights at some point, must have used his emergency brake to stop so his brake lights didn't give away his location. Ben jumped from the truck and began running along the shore. He was trying to hold his breath to listen for the noise of splashing. He heard nothing so he just kept running.

Marco and Daisy had stopped further up the shore and began their own search on foot. They could barely see the river in the extreme darkness but they could hear the rush of the water and feel the cool air blowing off of it.

The last vehicle to arrive on the bank was the Laredo Police car with Jimmy Godfrey in the passenger seat. The bouncing motion of the vehicle had caused him so much pain he was struggling to remain conscious. The officer driving was so busy trying to keep the cruiser under control that he did not notice the paleness of his passenger. Once they came to a stop, Jimmy winced as he slowly hoisted himself from his seat. The breeze from the river cooled his fevered skin.

But all parties were too late. Manuel had managed to crash the stolen car into the water. He piled out of the window and yanked the barely conscious Annie with him. He swam as quickly as possible for the other side. The water was freezing and while it sobered the dazed drug lord, it was proving dangerous to Annie's depleted body. Manuel did most of the work dragging Annie's barely floating body through the current.

Finally, when it seemed like she was going to drown at any minute, Manuel lifted her body onto the shore – of Mexico. She could see the headlights of the chasing Marshalls way upstream and she could hear an approaching helicopter but she could not muster enough energy to shout out her location. Manuel tossed her over his shoulder and sloshed up the bank to a waiting Jeep. The driver jumped out and helped dump her shivering body into the back seat. They jetted through the brush into the darkness. Annie allowed her eyes to close.

On the other side of the Rio Grande, Luke heard an engine start-up further down the bank and he grabbed Marco's arm next to him. They ran back to the truck and Marco grabbed the walkie, "Airship! Approximately a quarter mile East on the river bank! There is a car starting. Do you have a search light?" The helicopter with Daisy and the Chief inside hovered overhead. Within seconds a bright light beamed on the far side riverbank. The yellow jeep suddenly glowed as it zipped into the distance. "Oh no…" Luke breathed.

-\\-

Jimmy was on the other side of Ben's rental truck when the beam from the airship illuminated the Yellow Jeep's exit. The pain from his wrecked body and the loss of knowing that Annie was now on the other side of the border made him almost collapse. Then he had a thought. Wasn't Ben here? He had asked him to get here.

As if on cue, Jimmy saw the shadow of Ben in the darkness as he slinked toward the truck to the right of Jimmy. Even through the fog of pain, he knew his only chance to catch up to Annie was to stow-away in the back of this truck. Ben was the only person who would be able to cross that border tonight. So he grabbed the black jacket from the cab and pulled it on to cover the light colored hospital top he still had on. He, then, gingerly climbed into the back seat laying down to keep from being seen.

Ben swung into the driver's seat and started up the truck. He gunned it quickly before the Marshalls and police could react. They were all still down by the river bank concentrating on the light of the airship. The noise kept them distracted from the sound of the truck engine. Within 15 minutes, they had passed the checkpoint into Mexico on their way toward Annie.

-\\-

Up in the airship, movement below caught Daisy's eagle eye. She said nothing but observed alone, everyone else's attention on the retreating Yellow Jeep. Ben's truck was on the move. She wanted to tell the chief but worried that he would put a stop to possibly the only chance Annie had. She chose to remain quiet and sent Ben a silent prayer to find her boss. She was going to have to call Jimmy and relay the bad news. She dreaded that.

-\\-

Annie gently settled herself in the bouncing jeep trying to keep the lurching to a minimum. Her body was spasming as the chilly evening breeze penetrated her wet clothes and skin. She could not remember when she felt more miserable. Her body ached with each quake from her cold body and all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and find some warmth. She was sure Jimmy was dead. She had seen the thug drop his lifeless body in the dirt as they shoved her into the waiting vehicle. She knew she should have more fight in her but her reserves were running too low. Annie did her best to get warm when exhaustion took over and she dozed off.

Manuel was starting to come down from his frantic recklessness. He would need to stop soon for another hit before he got sick. "Get us there" came his heavily accented voice. His driver apparently already knew the plan and drove with purpose toward a destination. A quiet exhaustion fell over the car as it trundled down the road.

Not 10 minutes behind, Ben seemed to know exactly where to go. He steered down the road oblivious of Jimmy's presence in the back seat. It was good news for Jimmy who finally had a chance to relax and rest his battered body. He had no idea how long the drive would be so he took the opportunity to get as comfortable as he could.

-\\-

Manuel and Ben were over the border but those left behind at the shore of the Rio Grande were left frantic. Annie had been carried over the border – again! Luke shook his head and looked down. In the airship, Daisy's mind was calculating. She turned to the chief and said the only thing she could think of. "Sir, Luke can contact his father and use his connections to get the CIA to help us with this. Should I have him make the call?" She waited for a response… and waited… and waited.

Just when she thought she would have to repeat herself, the chief took a deep breath and looked down. "Land this thing. Land it right now" he demanded of the pilot. Once they touched down and he got the nod from the pilot, the chief leaped from his seat to stomp toward Marco and Luke standing by their vehicle. Daisy was right behind him.

"Luke, I want you to contact your father now. We need the CIA to help us immediately. We have got to get Annie out of there immediately." The chief was spitting mad. His hands were tied and he saw nothing more that he could do. Luke nodded and picked up his cell phone. He knew his father would be asleep but this was urgent and he fervently hoped he could get this point across.

Daisy had wandered away from the other Marshals and while the Chief and Luke talked on the phone, Marco chose to join her. "You OK?" he reached his arm up, turned her around and gathered her into a hug. Marco and Daisy had been like brother and sister for years. He knew how the disappearance of her friend and co-worker was affecting her. Daisy almost melted from exhaustion and worry.

"I'm hangin' in there…" she mumbled and then backed up. "Marco, what am I going to tell Jimmy? He thinks we have her safe and sound." She wasn't pleading. Daisy didn't plead. But she was clearly open to suggestion.

"I have no idea." Marco was at a loss. He had seen Jimmy's reaction and action the last time this had happened. And that time, Jimmy was healthy! This time, they had less to work with and more to lose. Marco rubbed the back of his neck as he thought of the upcoming conversation.

But that conversation would have to wait as the Chief and Luke marched over and interrupted. "We are heading back to Houston.

-\\-

They had been driving for a bit and were just outside the city limits of Nuevo Laredo. Manuel was starting to nod off; his earlier high had worn off along with the excitement of the chase. He had forgotten the injured Annie was in the back seat as his head nodded with the bumps in the road.

Annie had done her best to get into a position where she could maintain some core heat. Jimmy's shirt was not much protection against the cold Rio Grande water but it had dried quickly. Annie had her one good leg tucked up inside the main portion of the shirt. Her other leg throbbed. She could feel the heat radiating off of the gunshot wound and it concerned her. The bleeding had slowed and the cold water had helped with the swelling. But the less-than-sterile environment had not helped the situation at all.

Annie suspected she may have an infection starting and it would make her escape even more difficult if she even found a window of opportunity. Annie knew she had to escape. That was the only solution. Without Jimmy, no one would get there in time.

The thought of Jimmy gone made Annie bow her head. She felt a warm tear trickle down her face. When she got back – and she WAS getting back – what did it mean for her?

"Pull over, I need another hit" Manuel's voice interrupted Annie's thoughts.

"Yes sir" and the driver steered the jeep off the main road into the brush. Once the vehicle came to a stop, the driver jumped out and went to the back. He approached the diminished drug boss with a black duffle bag. Manuel took it and wandered off into the darkness.

Annie looked at the driver and smiled. He smiled back and looked down suddenly shy. "Where are you taking me?" Annie whispered.

He shook his head in response, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Annie reached out and touched his arm. Her fingers were ice cold and it grabbed the young man's attention immediately. Without speaking, he moved into the darkness and returned with a dark jacket that he wrapped around her shoulders. He placed his finger to his mouth to symbolize that she remain quiet and he turned to await his boss.

Annie cuddled tightly into the jacket thankful for its warmth. She tried to move her leg and grunted breathlessly. The pain was intense and the fact that she had not moved it for a while had left it stiff. The young driver turned and gave her a stern look that Annie could not miss even in the darkness. She bit her lip as she tried to move her leg again. It was clear that she could not make a noise to remind Manuel she was there but she needed to loosen herself up.

Manuel stomped up to the car and the young driver opened the door to let him in. Once everyone was in the vehicle, they drove back onto the road. The drug lord was clearly feeling a lot better as he leaned forward in his chair, turned on the radio and sang along.

No one paid any attention to the headlights slowly catching up from down the road.

Ben squinted into the darkness. Way up ahead he could see tail lights of a vehicle. It inspired him to put the pedal to the floor and catch up. His rental truck roared in response and ate up the distance. Ben's concentration was so intense; he didn't realize he was actually talking to himself, "Is that. . . It can't be . . . are you serious?"

Jimmy wished he could see what Ben was seeing. Heck, he wished he could actually sit up to try to see but his ribs were throbbing. He wished he had grabbed some Ibuprofen or something at the hospital before he snuck out. Still he remained hidden and listened for any more clues from the driving bounty hunter.

Jimmy could have danced a jig and Ben still wouldn't have noticed the bounty hunter was so focused. He had this feeling that the lights he saw in the distance belonged to that jeep and he was determined to catch up. Annie was inside that car. His heart pounded with anxiety.


	16. Chapter 16

**I apologize for the last chapter. It wasn't properly edited and I noticed some confusing errors. I will be going in as soon as I post this to see if I can edit and change the mistakes. **

**I cannot guarantee that this portion does not share errors but I will be reading again to check. If I find any, I will attempt to fix them as soon as possible. **

**I hope you are all still enjoying this story. I am concerned that the fact that I had those disturbing errors in the last chapter doesn't deter you from reading more.**

-\\-

Jimmy could have danced a jig and Ben still wouldn't have noticed the bounty hunter was so focused. He had this feeling that the lights he saw in the distance belonged to that jeep and he was determined to catch up. Annie was inside that car. His heart pounded with anxiety.

-\\-

It wasn't much longer on the dark rural road when the lights of the Cordova compound appeared on the horizon. Clearly they were expecting visitors. Even with the desert visual mirages, the jeep made quick time.

Before Annie was ready, they were entering the gates and approaching the massive house complete with extravagant fountains and marble statues. They passed by the front door and drifted further down the driveway toward the massive garage. As they rolled slowly along men or guards carrying automatic weapons joined walking alongside the vehicle in protection.

Soon, they came to a complete stop in the massive back terrace to cheers for their returning boss. Manuel was pulled out of the jeep to the sounds of victory. His family of thugs surrounded him congratulating him on the capture of one of the marshals.

He thrilled in their worship as he grandiosely stood on the bumper of the vehicle to announce more good news, "I would like all of you to know that I have also brought down the other marshall responsible for the end of our family's honor! Jimmy Godfrey is dead!" Dramatically, he stepped down as if the victor in a war and strutted toward the main house surrounded by his supporters.

Behind them, the left-over crowd yanked Annie out of the jeep. She was determined not to show any weakness or pain choosing to stare at the ground with determination. They dragged her along, "What do you want us to do with HER, boss?"

Manuel turned powerfully and marched back toward his captive. He grabbed her face in his steal grip intent on forcing her to look him in the eye. He paused long enough to see the many colors of bruise that painted her face. "Ahh, I see you have a nice reminder of who is in charge here."

Annie squinted angrily and spit in her captor's face only to be slapped again. "Get RID of her" Manny screamed and waved generically toward an out building on the edge of the massive patio. She didn't care. She had lost so much at this point, there wasn't much that concerned her. The thugs dragged her in the direction their boss waived when suddenly; there were loud bangs like gunfire.

Men scattered ducking behind planters and statues. The two men holding Annie sprinted into the nearby back door of the mansion and tossed her, unceremoniously, into the closet and locked the door. So she missed the truth behind the ruckus. Out from behind a side terrace ran a pack of laughing, happy kids lighting another string of firecrackers attempting to contribute to the festivities.

Manuel, fortunately, wasn't too high to recognize the children's attempt to contribute. He emerged laughing from behind a planter to lift the closest giggling child into the air. The crowd relaxed and followed their families into the center terrace area to find it decorated for a returning hero complete with band and a wide array of delicious food.

-\\-

On the team Lear, Luke had been trying to get through to his father on the phone. "Dad, I know it is late but we have to get her out of there! She is a US Marshall who was taken hostage. She was not working over the border. She was CARRIED there!"

It seemed the fog of sleep was finally lifting from the senator's head. "Son, I do not think the CIA can help you with this."

"Wait, what? " Luke was almost delirious he was so tired.

"Luke, you need another agency entirely. Look, I can make a call to someone in the DEA. I think they might be able to help you. I will call you right back" his father finished and hung up.

The other marshals sat on the edge of their seats blatantly eavesdropping. Their heads dropped as they watched Luke put the phone down and hold his in his hands.

Slowly he picked his head up, "He is contacting someone at the DEA. He will call me back."

Daisy stood up abruptly and began pacing the aisle of the plane. She held her hair back and glared in concentration at the floor. "The DEA has been establishing new relationships with law enforcement in Mexico…" She looked up, eyes a-glow with understanding. "Luke, your dad is going to contact the DEA to work with Mexican law enforcement!"

"We need to figure out what they have been currently focused on. After what happened to the Cordova Cartel, they should be working on shutting down the Satevos. Manuel Cordova is most likely functioning completely under the DEA's radar." Marco carefully contained his fury, the events from Annie's previous kidnapping was still very vivid in his head.

"Luke, when your father calls, give me the name of the DEA agent. I will call him myself" and the chief looked back at his laptop and continued his work.

Silence fell on the marshals in the Lear. No one was sleeping, there was too much to figure out.

"Hey team, please buckle up. We are going to land in the next 20 minutes" came over the loud speaker. Wordlessly and almost in a trance, Daisy and Luke sat amongst Marco and the chief in preparation for their Houston arrival.

Suddenly, Luke's phone rang startling everyone out of their thoughts. He juggled the phone out of his pocket and punch the answer button almost frantic, "hello! Hey… uh hunh….mmm hmmmm. Okay. What time? Who do we contact to set this up? Special Agent Derks….3765. Okay. Yea, we will call to get looped in. Yep. Thanks." Luke dropped the phone from his ear and starred at his Chief.

"Special Agent Michael Derks at 555-736-3765. He is waiting for your call." He looked down and mumbled more, "They are poised to raid the Satevo Cartel property in 12 hours." He looked up directly into Marco's eyes and finished, "they thought the Cordova Cartel was off the grid."

The plane lurched slightly as the tires touched earth.

Just 30 minutes later, the team entered the dark headquarters. They scattered to their individual desks to begin doing the research before the chief called the Special Agent and the next stage of this nightmare began.

-\\-

Dawn was still many hours away. Ben's plan was to remain in the distant brush on the periphery of the compound and watch. Just before dawn after watching the comings and goings from afar, he would know where they had Annie and he would know the watch-sentinels location and schedule. That hour before dawn also afforded him the element of surprise in the form of both darkness and his enemies' exhaustion.

Ben crouched on the hill watching through his binoculars. He had seen the celebration, Annie getting yanked out of the jeep. He whispered to himself as he watched her fight back, "You certainly know how to make it hard on a guy to save you, Miss Annie Frost."

Behind him, squinting into the inky blackness was a gasping Jimmy who had managed to excavate himself from the truck without passing out and was trying to see what Ben was looking at. He saw a mass of people in the lighted compound below. He could not make out who was who but by the bounty hunter's comment, he knew Annie was somewhere in the middle. He rubbed his head with his good arm. His bad arm carefully cradled his injured rib cage. He couldn't even sigh with his injuries. How was he supposed to save her?

Both men settled into their night of waiting anxious about what was ahead of them. Below, the fiesta continued. Music and dancing and eating kept the family distracted but the guards were keeping a careful eye out for intruders.

-\\-

Inside the mansion, Annie huddled in the closet. She could hear the din of the party outside but spent the quiet alone time to move her leg and try to stay limber. It was becoming increasingly difficult as she could feel the infection in her gunshot wound starting to take hold. She was just starting to let her body relax and rest when she heard a familiar voice outside.

"Yes, Uncle? What is it you wanted to tell me?" Manuel Cordova was walking by the closet Annie was in. After hearing the conversation topic, Annie felt he either did not know she was inside or had forgotten.

"What are you going to do with the blonde marshal?" The other voice stated. His voice sounded ruthless and psycho and Annie could understand where that side of Manuel came from.

She could hear her nemesis sigh heavily, "She must pay, uncle. The more pain the better. She and her partner brought our family so much pain and suffering. But tonight is a night to celebrate. I will deal with her in the morning. And trust me; I will make it worth the wait…" The voices faded as they wandered off.

The news did not surprise her but rather inspired her to start forming an escape plan. She needed to keep Jimmy's death honorable. She sent a silent prayer that the party would distract everyone from her location for a bit longer while she formulated her strategy.


	17. Chapter 17

**I fear that my story is going to peeter out and not come close to meeting your expectations. I have already started thinking about my next story – which is more fluff and dealing with life issues than crisis.**

**I hope everyone isn't disappointed by my story!**

**Have a great weekend.**

-\\-

The news did not surprise her but rather inspired her to start forming an escape plan. She needed to keep Jimmy's death honorable. She sent a silent prayer that the party would distract everyone from her location for a bit longer while she formulated her strategy.

-\\-

The chief knew he should have waited until much later in the morning to responsibly speak to this Special Agent, but these were unusual circumstances and time was truly of the essence. He had been sitting at his desk fiddling with a paperclip….

"Sir, I think we need to call now" Luke didn't bother knocking as he stormed in. His impatience had gotten the best of him.

Chief closed his eyes at the interruption. He allowed Luke to stand at his desk and wait... "Get the rest of the team in here… now" his voice was low but tinged with frustration and anger.

The young marshal turned on his heel and ran off to gather everyone but was stopped short. Marco, Daisy and Bouff stood just outside the doorway waiting to enter.

"Come in" the chief gestured. "We need to make this call."

-\\-

Hours had gone by and Ben began sneaking closer to the compound. The party had shown no hint of slowing down until about 4am as the heavy drinking and drugs started to take their toll on the carousers. One of the evening's more vivid memories burned into Ben's head was the cheers to Jimmy's death. It made his recent interactions with the marshal feel surreal as if he had been dealing with a ghost.

He had made it to the back terrace with no issues. It appeared the "guards" had either passed out or fallen asleep. As he cautiously approached the door he believed they had taken Annie, there was a commotion. Loud shouting was awaking the guards. He needed to get inside before anyone saw him.

Ben grabbed a-hold of the door-knob positive that it would be locked. But it wasn't. Instead of his shoulder meeting a hard wooden vertical surface, he fell to the ground - inside the house – shocked. Scurrying as quickly as possible; he crawled to close the door behind him. In relief he sighed and leaned back against the closet door behind him

The thump noise awakened Annie inside. Though the fever was starting to take its toll on her, escape was still very much on her mind. She backed into the darkness of the closet as far as she could. Whoever it was on the other side of the door began mumbling. It was a voice she recognized. Her muddled brain was having difficulty putting everything together but the sudden gunfire solidified everything.

"Ben? Ben is that you?" She whispered trying not to sound desperate.

"Annie? What? Holy crap! Okay, hang on." Ben rattled the doorknob to the closet and found it locked. "Back up and I am going to kick the door in. I have to wait for more gunfire and then I can do it"

"Gun-fire? Ben! " but she didn't get a chance to finish as the door came erupting in on her and Ben stood with a halo of light behind him. She blinked as she tried to focus on what was going on. He was at her side instantly.

"Shhhhh, Annie, you are in bad shape. Just sit still here for a sec. These idiots have seen too many gangstah movies. They are currently running around shooting their guns into the sky in some continuation of their celebration." Ben put his hand to her head and could feel her fever. He rolled his eyes. This hard escape was getting harder.

She just looked at him with the confused squint of exhausted illness.

"Look, Anthony had this family well in hand. Manuel prefers to live like a Hollywood movie. I guess it helps him boost his confidence and makes him believe that he can pull off the role of 'Godfather'." He was almost mumbling as he shoved Annie back into the closet and joined her. The sounds outside were getting louder meaning that the party was expanding to the back terrace.

He peered outside the closet door watching the events outside while blindly reaching behind him to grab Annie's hand.

Suddenly a mass of men lurched by weaving and swaying and shouting and shooting. He waited until they were out of site before throwing the door open and yanking Annie behind him. He sprinted out of the door and made for the stables on the outer edge of the patio.

His plan was to rest and get a better assessment of Annie's injuries before inching behind the building up to the scrub behind. If everything went well, he would hoist Annie into his truck and have her over the border by dawn.

Unfortunately, the marshal's condition was not going to agree with his plan.

Pulling her behind him was like yanking an anchor. While he had not run from things often while holding her hand, he figured that this was not normal. But he didn't have time to turn his head and look at her until he was safely inside one of the stable doors.

Annie slumped into the old hay that littered the pen. She was gasping for air and sweating. Her pallor was a sickly gray. The light wasn't good but Ben was better able to see than when they were in the closet. She was wearing an overly large, filthy shirt with a dark jacket on top. That was all. She had bruises all over her. But the worst was the gunshot wound to her leg. It was red and clearly enflamed. Ben saw the exit wound so knew the bullet had gone all the way through. Hebriefly pulled her into a hug and could feel her relax against him.

He gently lifted her chin so she could look him in the eye. He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. At the last minute, she looked away. Ben's heart dropped. "Annie, did he..? He didn't….?" he stumbled trying to find out what he didn't want to know.

"No, Ben, no" She rasped as she looked down. "I can't do this. Thank you for finding me. I just…. It is too soon" and she began to cry.

"What are you talking about?" Ben was confused.

"He's dead, Ben" she was starting to sob.

"Jimmy? Are you talking about Jimmy?"

Annie nodded peering up at him and looking small and weak.

"Jimmy isn't dead, Annie" he retorted angrily. His heart was in conflict. He knew she needed all the help she could get but his heart was broken. She clearly had made her choice. He had risked his life and made promises to his rival. He felt, for a moment, like he had been played by Jimmy and he looked at the ceiling to take a deep breath.

"What?" she weakly replied.

He grumbled his response, still angry, "Yeah, he sent me to get you. He is in a hospital in Houston."

She couldn't miss the undertone of anger in Ben's voice but her heart was frozen by the news. He was alive!

Both were yanked from their thoughts as some party-goers had headed toward the stables. Ben grabbed Annie's hand again and dragged her out of the stall whispering to himself "Great. I am going to get killed so you and Jimmy can live happily ever after…." He crouched low against the barn wall. Annie could barely kneel but he paid her no attention in his frustration.

More voices sounded like they were coming so he hauled her behind a stack of hay continuing his inner conversation, "I should have seen this coming…"

When he felt the coast was clear, he went for the back door of the barn.

But Annie couldn't. She was finding it almost impossible to concentrate. Her head was swimming and she was feeling steadily more ill as the moments ticked by. Ben turned to see why she wasn't following him when he noticed the look on her face and he couldn't stay angry.

His heart broke for her. She was clearly in so much pain and had been beaten up for the past 24 hours. He just needed her to push forward a little longer. If he could get her half way to the truck, he could hide her in the brush and bring the truck to pick her up. He smiled at her feverish face. His hope was to encourage her to give him everything she had left.

And that is when he noticed that Annie's expression had suddenly changed. She was looking past him and there had been a flash of horror in her eyes. He turned around slowly to face the barrel of a gun.

-\\-

The H.E.A.T. team hung up the phone with the Special Agent. The call had taken over 30 minutes of time they really did not have but it was necessary to make the agent aware of the dire circumstances. The chief had explained everything himself until the agent asked if anyone was currently still involved in the chase. That was when Daisy interrupted.

"Ben Crowley….." she stuttered and looked seriously at the chief.

"What are you saying, marshal?" The chief was perturbed that he did not know the whole story.

"Well, Ben was helping us, as you know chief, at the border. He was at the edge of the river when Annie was carried across." Daisy had begun pacing as she remembered but paused suddenly. She looked at the floor in concentration then whipped her head back up to stare right at Marco. "He didn't leave with us. Marco, his truck was THERE. It was THERE at the riverside but when we all left, it wasn't there anymore!"

"Special Agent Derks, Bounty Hunter Ben Crowly followed Manuel Cordova over the border. He is following them" she finished.

Marco, Luke and Bouff all stared at her with their mouths open. They had not seen any of this in their distress but she had.

Over the phone squawked a response, "Chief Edward, you are going to have to give me time to reorganize our plans. This is putting our entire sting in jeopardy. We will most likely lose our chance to bring down the Satevo Cartel if we do this, so you better be right that Manuel Cordova has your marshal. I will not put my own agents in danger for a hunch."

"We are certain that Manuel Cordova has kidnapped Marshal Annie Frost, Special Agent Derks. I can guarantee you of that." The chief was just as serious and sounded just as powerful.

There was a silent pause in the room. They all stared at the phone in anticipation.

Suddenly it came over the speaker phone. "I will call you back in 45 minutes with the new plan." They would have their answer shortly before 5am. Would that be enough time to save Annie?


	18. Chapter 18

**I apologize to EVERYONE! I promised Monday and I did not deliver. I sincerely hope everyone who is taking their finals in school had great success. I hope to upload another chapter soon.**

**Please enjoy and if you have anything to say, I would love to hear.**

**For all US readers, have a great Memorial Day!**

-\\-

There was a silent pause in the room. They all stared at the phone in anticipation.

Suddenly it came over the speaker phone. "I will call you back in 45 minutes with the new plan." They would have their answer shortly before 5am. Would that be enough time to save Annie?

-\\-

Ben focused from the barrel back to the face. "My cousin will be VERY disappointed to see HER disappear." The owner of the gun clearly gestured toward Annie. "I am afraid I cannot let you take her."

He then forced Ben toward the outer stall door. Two men grabbed Annie and dragged her behind. Ben's greatest fear was realized. No one knew where they were and by the time they were found, it would be too late.

However, that was not true. Up the hill from the compound was Jimmy. He had somehow managed to stumble the quarter mile down the hill from the truck and had been watching intently. He had not missed the three men escorting Ben and carrying Annie toward the main house. The fact that Annie now had to be carried sunk Jimmy's heart. He knew she was in seriously bad shape and needed to be extricated immediately but due to her injuries. But with his own injuries, he could not afford to race in without a better plan.

He looked at his watch. It was just after 6am and still dark. The sun wouldn't rise for another hour at least. His body ached in the cold early morning air but he pushed that away. There was too much to do to think about himself.

Suddenly, another loud noise erupted from below. Jimmy had Ben's binoculars up as fast as he could. He could not see the source of the noise he was so intent on watching Annie. For the umpteenth time, she was dropped to the ground. Jimmy's heart was bleeding. He was too far away to hear what they were saying but he tried to read lips.

Some of the elders had awakened early and were not at all happy with the younger family members. They had emerged from the house awake and irritated confronting their younger generation still drunk and disorderly.

Jimmy watched Annie disappear inside the house. They kept Ben with them as arms flailed and expletives were blurted out. It was becoming difficult to figure out who was in control of the mess. He looked up at the horizon. It wasn't even pink yet.

**-\\-**

The DEA call came right on time and the entire team had convened to hear the news, the plan, and what their roles were in it. It took 15 minutes for Derks to cover the team's arrival in Laredo.

The H.E.A.T. team would fly via the Lear and meet the DEA agents in Laredo. Helicopters from Lackland AFB were scheduled to fly to Laredo. Everyone was to arrive in an hour for the final trip over the border to the Cordova compound.

If everything went smoothly, as if that could be possible when dealing with drug lords, they should have Annie in their custody by sunrise.

The whole group quickly and quietly filed out of the office grabbing jackets and laptops as they headed for the parking garage and inevitably the airport to board the waiting Lear. Chief Edwards was on his cell requesting the pilots report to the plane for an immediate departure. With sirens blaring they were at the field in no time and were able to keep to the DEA's planned departure time.

No one said a word during the hour-long flight to Laredo but Marco's leg jiggled nervously. Daisy was leaning forward, her face in her hands. Luke clenched the armrests and glared mindlessly out the window into the dark nothing-ness. Chief Edwards reviewed the DEA schedule and plan-of-attack.

They landed without incident and right on time. The helicopters were standing by and according to the tower, the DEA Lear would be touching down within the next 3 minutes. So far, so good.

As they waited to load onto the choppers for the final "attack", Daisy thought about calling Jimmy. She had, in all the excitement, forgotten to update him as she had promised. She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket and chose to text him in case he was sleeping.

"Working with the DEA" she typed. "Scheduled to apprehend Annie from compound within the next few minutes." She knew she was probably giving away more information than she was supposed to. But this was Jimmy and he really needed to know.

As she pushed the 'send' button on her phone, special agent Derks was calling out names for the chopper assignments. Daisy trotted forward when she heard her name called and climbed into the wide open door.

Marcus and Luke followed. They would be on their way for the short 20 minute flight any second now. Butterflies were having a party in her stomach as she thought about having her best friend home and safe again.

-\\-

Jimmy was still on the hillside above trying to come up with some sort of effective plan. His injured shoulder was distracting him and his wheezy breathing was faintly disturbing. How was he going to do this?

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. The message brought him new hope. Without knowing it, Daisy had given him the answer to his wishes. With the DEA and H.E.A.T. team enroute, all Jimmy had to do was keep Annie safe for a few minutes. This was going to be a shoot-out with the potential for collateral damage. He had to make sure that Annie and Ben were as far away from that as possible.

Knowing help was a mere 20 minutes away, he headed down the hill determined to get the hostages to a safe distance without getting shot.

The noise of the arguing family members allowed him to sneak very close. Hiding behind the nearby outbuilding, Jimmy was able to grab Ben's attention.

After his initial shock, Ben nodded. Without speaking, both men knew the plan.

He used surprise to get the jump on the two men holding him. Within seconds, they were both unconscious at his feet. Jimmy limped in and clobbered the other two younger cartel guards. The elders stood in shock.

The bounty hunter sprinted in the direction that Annie was taken. Before the marshal turned to follow him he whispered to the shocked seniors, "get out of here." He saw the recognition in their eyes as they hustled toward the main house, hopefully to grab their loved ones and go.

Both men were stopped at the door Annie was dragged through. They had to remain calm but only Jimmy knew that time was not on their side. They needed to get Annie and get out of the way. Jimmy rotated his wrist to look for his watch remembering Annie had taken it in the train. He quietly turned Ben's wrist over to see the time on his watch.

Inside, Manuel was bent over screaming obscenities into her face.

Annie was tired. She was spent. She could care less that Manuel was mad. She had fought so hard for so long and nothing was left.

Manuel kicked her to get her attention and she glimpsed up in reaction but her brain wasn't there.

She was still struggling to ingest everything Ben had told her. She had seen Jimmy dead by the side of the railroad tracks...

Then something sparkled from the doorway that grabbed her eye. It was the hall light reflecting off something. She squinted her good eye but just as it began to come into focus she was smacked across the face. The body of the man beating her lowered to eye level blocking any view of the doorway.

He grabbed her chin and began growling all the horrible things he planned to do to her. She gathered all of her hatred and spit in his face. That was the final straw. Cordova raised his arm up for a death blow. He was livid and his eyes glowed with the fury. But she didn't back down, instead choosing to look him right in the eye.

The fists came down with a vengeance. Annie didn't want to closer her eyes but it was involuntary. She braced for the blow that never came. Instead she heard a grunt and the shadow that blocked the hallway light vaporized on the other side of her closed eyelids.

She jerked backwards away from the fight that was rolling around in front of her and she opened her eyes quickly to figure it out. There, in front of her was Ben holding a writhing, spitting, growling drugged up Manuel while Jimmy held a gun to his head.

Wait…. "Jimmy?" Annie muttered in surprise.

The ground started to shake as the choppers approached. "Annie, we've got to get you out of here, now!" Jimmy was alive and he was taking control. The DEA and H.E.A.T. team would be overhead in a matter of seconds. "Ben, get off him. We gotta get out of here."

Ben rolled off Cordova and Jimmy didn't even hesitate. The gunshot made Annie jump and Manuel scream in pain. He had only been shot in the leg but it gave Ben enough time to grab Annie so the three could escape out the back door.

Gunfire was exploding all around them as the guards began shooting at the sounds of the approaching helicopters.

The two men were relieved by the distraction. Jimmy grabbed Annie's other side with his good arm and they ran as fast as they could for the dark hill behind the barn.

While their initial escape had gone unnoticed in the distraction, it did not take long for their screaming leader to stumble to the doorway and let his thugs know. "GET THEM NOW! THEY SHOT ME!" Manuel was seething. The addled guards scrambled to figure out what was going on. The copter noises were deafening and it was still dark outside but the compound was well lit and it didn't take them long to find the running trio.

As the three got to the base of the hill they collapsed unaware that their getaway had been discovered.

Jimmy was gasping for breath. Annie wanted to be concerned but she was barely able to remain conscious. Her body burned from fever and her head swam from the many blows to the head and the crazy commotion going on around her. Ben stood over them until the first shots started whizzing over his head.

-\\-

They could see the compound lights ahead of them. The pilots had chosen to leave their approach lights off until the last minute hoping that they wouldn't reveal their numbers.

Daisy and Marco hung out the sides squinting into the wind. They knew they needed to concentrate on the plan of attack but were distracted by searching for a sign of their best friend and boss.

"She is down there… she is…." Daisy chanted to herself forgetting that the mic on her headset was live. Luke reached over and put his hand on hers. She looked up at the distraction and he smiled. For the first time, he saw the dark circles under her eyes and knew he was not the only person on this seemingly bionic team who was running on empty.

"We'll get her, Daisy. We will." Luke used the opportunity to pump himself up.

Then the gunfire started. The helicopters were just coming into range and they were going to need to be cautious to prevent damage or death. The noise woke everyone up and had them ready for action.

-\\-

They could hear the copters getting closer as they all lay flat in the ditch. Jimmy turned to the bounty hunter. "Ben, I don't know if we can make it to your truck."

He nodded letting his eyes wander around him to gather intell on his surroundings. Then, without notice, he lurched forward and sprinted for the hill behind. His initial escape was missed by the guards, it was so unexpected. Even Annie awoke momentarily from her gloom to react. Jimmy whispered and held her closer with his good arm, "shhhh, just rest".

Ben got almost 50 meters up the hill before the shouts were heard. The crazed cartel members couldn't decide which to shoot at first. They were spraying bullets in all directions rapidly losing control.

Jimmy rocked his body upright. He had to keep them from shooting Ben. He picked up some stones and rocketed them at the snipers on the roof ducking quickly back into the ditch. It hurt to do all of this but adrenaline was coursing through his body keeping him alert and focused.

It was that exact moment when two things happened simultaneously. Jimmy could finally see the line of helicopters rapidly approaching just as he heard Annie gasp, "Ben's been shot!" He whipped around almost too fast as he saw Ben fall to the dirt. A blood patch began to grow on his lower right side.

Luckily, as Ben fell, he was able to roll into another ditch for protection. It was, by no means, a safe haven but rather a temporary spot to gather his wits and sprint for a better hiding place. He would not be out of range of the snipers for quite a ways.

He huddled in his ditch looking back at Annie and Jimmy before searching for another safer spot to sprint to when the approach lights of the helicopters flipped on. The light was blinding as well as revealing.

Luckily for Ben, the roof guards turned their aim, blanketing the sky with bullets at the approaching choppers. Jimmy grabbed Annie. They had to get out of the way. With no one watching them he shook her and looked in her eyes. "I need you to give me everything you've got. We have to run up that hill…. NOW!"

"But Jimmy…" she slurred, "your ribs… you can't"

"I need you to run – NOW! GO!" He shoved her ahead of him toward the hillside that Ben had climbed. The two of them limped at half the speed that Ben had done it so they were barely on the edge of the compound when the choppers arrived. Both dove into the dirt doing their best to hide.

For the first time in ages their faces were centimeters from each other. Annie looked into Jimmy's eyes. She could see he was struggling to breathe. She noticed his shirt was a hospital gown and she started to put things together in her feeble mind. Jimmy saw her struggling to think and smiled. He tried to lift his bad arm to touch her face but couldn't.

She just leaned forward so her forehead touched his and she closed her eyes.

-\\-

The next thing Annie knew, she was laying flat on her back and she couldn't move. There was a strange hush around her and for a second she thought she had gone deaf. She started struggling against the bands that held her down. A face came into view. She was talking but Annie couldn't understand. She was near panic. Where was Ben and WHERE WAS JIMMY?

She was starting to fight as hard as she could to get free when into her view came a familiar face. It was Daisy. She knew her. She knew Daisy. Annie started talking but her words were all jumbled and it terrified her. Daisy calmly held her face. Her cool hands felt good against Annie's blistering skin. Daisy was trying to tell her something. Annie stopped thrashing to hear what she had to say.

"Annie, shhhh. Calm down. You are at the hospital. You are safe."

"Is Ben ok?"

"Yea, the bullet didn't do too much damage. He is in surgery right now but they expect he will be ok."

Then Annie's face looked terrified. Daisy was glad she was the only person to see this."And Jimmy?" she whispered shaking.

"He is stable. He is going to be fine. Shhhhhh, Annie. You need to calm down. Your leg is infected and you are really sick. We need you to stay calm so we can get the antibiotics into your system to fight the infection before it gets worse. Can you do that?"

"Daisy, I need to see Jimmy. Can I just see him?" She was beginning to look frantic and her best friend knew she would need to appease her soon or her addled brain might make her do something ill-advised.

"I'll see what I can do. But you need to rest quietly here until I get back, you understand me?"

Annie nodded and tried to smile.

Daisy turned and left the room. She knew the marshal in question was currently being examined a couple of doors down. She was just as interested as Annie in his well being. So she wandered toward the doors hoping that what she had told her best friend was true. If it wasn't, she doubted she would have a best friend anymore.

Through the window lay Jimmy's shirtless body. A drain protruded from his side but he appeared to be talking to the nurses and doctors as they examined both his previously collapsed lung and his destroyed collar bone. No one looked to be frantic or yelling orders like the last time she had seen him in this position. It calmed her a bit and she took a deep breath.

Then, a nurse who had been blocking his view, moved and Jimmy could see Daisy outside the room. He picked up his head and looked directly at her. She could see the sudden change of concern in his face. Then she could hear the heart monitor beeping. Everyone in the room became more animated. But Jimmy pushed them all back with his good arm and he pointed at her. Without looking away he requested she come in. The doctor supported his request and the nearest nurse opened the door for Daisy to enter.


	19. Chapter 19

**Well, my very first FF is now complete! I have been so thrilled by all of your comments that I have decided to start a new story. I have put a sneak peek at the end of this story. I hope to have the first chapter of that story up and running soon.**

**Thank you for ALL of your support! I owe some of the other authors here on the CHASE board some reviews. I have been reading your stuff and it has been inspirational to me. **

**Anyway - here is the last chapter of this crazy story.**

-\\-

Then, a nurse who had been blocking his view, moved and Jimmy could see Daisy outside the room. He picked up his head and looked directly at her. She could see the sudden change of concern in his face. Then she could hear the heart monitor beeping. Everyone in the room became more animated. But Jimmy pushed them all back with his good arm and he pointed at her. Without looking away he requested she come in. The doctor supported his request and the nearest nurse opened the door for Daisy to enter.

"How is Annie?"

"She's okay, Jimmy. She just regained consciousness. They have her on antibiotics for her leg wound and they are waiting for the doctor to look at her eye…" she stumbled to silence. When he looked at her to continue, "they think her orbital bone might be fractured."

He nodded and the beeping slowed to normal. He flopped his head back onto the bed. "When can I see her?" He asked into the air.

"I think you are looking good for now. Jimmy, we cannot operate on your collar bone until your lung is more healed. We need to get to it soon so it will be within the next 14 hours. I just want to give your lungs as long as I can before we anesthetize you." The doctor turned and addressed the nurses. "You can roll him by her room on your way to his."

But she turned back to Jimmy to pointedly state, "5 minutes with her. No more, you understand. She is very ill and I need both of you to rest. We put you in neighboring rooms." Jimmy smiled feeling like a chastised kid and nodded. Daisy chuckled at the sight and headed back to Annie's room as she had promised.

Within a few minutes, Jimmy had been moved onto a wheel chair for transport to his new room and was on the move.

-\\-

The blonde marshal was drifting in and out of sleep. The drugs were making her feel sick to her stomach. Her leg was throbbing, her head was swimming and exhaustion kept grabbing her attention. But her best friend had given her news that was keeping her awake in anticipation.

She wasn't sure how long her eyes had been closed when she sensed someone nearby. She slowly opened her eyes and her stomach flipped. It was Jimmy. He looked on the grayer side but was sporting a smile that reached his eyes. It warmed her all over and she could feel tears running down her face.

The nurses parked his chair close enough that Jimmy reached his good arm over to hold Annie's hand. She squeezed it as her vision of him blurred. She blinked more tears away, smiled and struggled to sit up.

Jimmy, familiar with the hospital bed reached for the controls and the head of the bed rose to meet Annie's struggling torso. He grinned at the relief on her face. In his deep gruff voice he comforted, "Hey, lay back. You're tired, aren't you?" He let go of the bed controller and reached up to push an errant wisp of hair out of her face.

She nodded. "Are you okay?" she whispered, concerned.

He smiled again and almost chuckled but it hurt too much. "Yea, I'm gonna live. Look, just lay back and sleep. I will stay here until you drift off, ok?"

She nodded again, smiled and gingerly wiped the tears from her bruised face. Jimmy wiped a stray tear that she had missed and took her hand in his again. His grin gave away his sentiment.

Annie leaned back into her pillow and finally let her eyes drift closed. It was a mere moments and she was sound asleep, her grip on Jimmy's hand loosening until he looked up and nodded at the nurses. He was ready to go to his new room.

Daisy grinned at him as he was rolled out of Annie's room and past her down the hall. She couldn't help but think that those two had a steep slope ahead of them but she believed they would somehow work it out. It was sure going to make things interesting in the coming weeks, nay, months. She pushed away from the wall she was leaning on and turned to see Marco coming down the hallway toward her. He had a bag of something that smelled delicious in his hand.

"Did you see them?" Marco looked antsy. But he relaxed when she responded.

"I think Annie is asleep. They just rolled Jimmy into his room." She glanced at the bag in his hand and raised her eyebrows. "Is he allowed to eat yet?"

Marco showed his pearly whites as he stated, "My man needs some real food! I brought him some of my home-made Barbeque! " And he continued down the hall still talking as he headed toward the room she had pointed out, "Barbeque heals everything!"

He flashed her that grin one more time before pushing his way through the door and calling his greetings to the marshal inside.

She shook her head laughing to herself, "boys!" and she headed down the corridor toward the elevators. Before the elevator bank, she came across an open door. It was Ben's room. And there was an unmistakable giggle that emerged causing her to pause before passing by.

Apparently the bedside manner at this hospital suited the bounty hunter just fine. There, flirting with her patient was Nurse Maggie. And the grin on Ben's face showed that it was just the medicine he needed. Clearly he was going to survive his gunshot wound just fine.

Daisy continued to the elevator bank, pushed the button and waited. When the doors opened, there stood an anxious Luke. He was still looking at the floor number inside the elevator so had not seen her yet and almost walked right into her.

"Hey! Have you seen Annie or Jimmy? I tried to call Marco but he didn't answer his phone. Are they OK? Is Ben here too? Does he know about Annie and Jimmy? Is he mad?"

"Luke, calm down. We are not in a soap opera. Marco is serving Jimmy some homemade barbeque in room 412. Annie is sleeping right now but she is in 408. Luke is flirting with Nurse Maggie in room 425." Daisy quietly recited and tilted her head. The door closed behind Luke and he just stared down the hall.

She pushed him down the hall calling "go hang out with Marco and Jimmy. Room 412" and she punched the elevator call button again. He looked over his shoulder with a grin and moved down the hall looking at room numbers as he went.

She got on the elevator and headed to the lobby. Her plan was to go home, have a bubble bath and take a long nap when she saw the Houston PD car parked in front of the entrance. The officer was standing outside his vehicle almost at attention. She sighed and walked up to him. She already had an idea what this was about.

"Ma'am? Do you know Marshal Annie Frost?" the anxious officer stuttered after spotting the badge on her hip.

"Yes sir, I do. Does this involve a large drooling Rottweiler, officer?" She put her hands on her hips and watched as the officer backed away from the side of his vehicle to reveal the massive head of 59 in the passenger window. The dog took one look at Daisy and flung his monstrous body out of the open window to attack her with wet kisses.

"Woah! 59! Get down!" She looked at the officer and smiled. "I'll take him. You can go."

The look of relief on the officer's face made Daisy laugh. She grabbed the Rotty's leash and turned to continue toward the parking garage. But 59 sat his beasty bottom right down and refused to move. The motion, or lack thereof, almost yanked her arm out of socket.

"59, we need to get home. Annie isn't coming out for a while and you cannot go in there to see her, buddy." Why was she talking to a dog? But 59 looked at her as if he was listening but not agreeing with her excuses. She patted the top of his head and yanked him harder toward her vehicle. "Come on big-guy! It is time for a well-deserved nap! I'll bring you back later and maybe we can get Annie to the window so you can see her."

Highway 59 slumped at the news but followed behind, clearly depressed. Daisy wasn't sure how these next few days were going to go with her new four legged roommate. She was just glad that Annie was back and safe.

**THE END**

**Sneak peek at new story:**

**One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

Marshal Annie Frost had been in the hospital for a week now. The infected gunshot wound to her leg seemed to be healing properly though it still needed to be cleaned and bandaged daily. The surgery to put a plate on her cracked orbital bone had been successful but the bruising was still dark and disturbing.

She had been given permission to walk with the assistance of a nurse but Annie just couldn't wait until a nurse was available. She was going stir crazy in her hospital bed and was desperate for some sort of change of view. She needed to get moving.

When her cell phone rang she grabbed it up happy for the distraction. "Hello?"

"Annie, it's Daisy. 59 is going to drive me crazy! Can you get a nurse to bring you downstairs so he can see you?"


End file.
